


Amare Leporum

by MetallicGirl



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 00:47:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 26,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11070537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetallicGirl/pseuds/MetallicGirl
Summary: The Romance Charm (Amare Leporum) is a complicated charm that, if successful, causes the victim to become infatuated, even obsessed with the caster. It can be broken three ways. One, if the caster lifts the spell; two, if the caster dies; or three, if the victim sees his/her true love in person. It takes a powerful witch or wizard to do the spell right, but luckily, Severus Snape is a powerful wizard.After he was friendzoned by Lily Evans as a teenager, Snape thought he'd never love again. But all that changes when he falls for the new History of Magic teacher, a former Auror named Lucy Marsh, in the 1994-95 school year. As the Yule Ball approaches, he asks her but gets a no...and that's where the Romance Charm comes in. Just for that one night, Snape promises himself...but things soon spin out of control and Lucy insists on marrying him! Snape finds out that if the caster marries the victim, a kiss at the altar will make the spell permanent...even if he wants to lift it. The Potions Master finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Should he lift the spell, or seal the deal with the bond of marriage? And when a dark, shocking secret is uncovered from Lucy's past, that may make all the difference...





	1. Question

Christmas was approaching for Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts, and so was the Yule Ball. It was all anybody could talk about—including the teachers, sometimes. Normally, Professor Snape wouldn't want anything to do with something like this, but there was one factor this year that changed everything. And one morning, a few days before Christmas, it couldn't have been clearer for him.

Snape was sitting near the other Heads of House, but his black eyes were focused on the new History of Magic teacher, Professor Lucy Marsh, a.k.a. the reason boys finally paid attention in that class. She had been an Auror before coming to teach at the school to teach, and as a former Ravenclaw, she was plenty smart. She was best friends with Professor Flitwick (eagles have to stick together, after all), but she found Snape a little creepy.

Some of the teachers already had dates—Flitwick was going with Sprout, McGonagall with Dumbledore, Mad-Eye with Grubbly-Plank. Snape didn't have a date, though, and he wanted to ask Professor Marsh.

…

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were sitting together at the Gryffindor table, watching the teachers. Everyone could see Snape watching Professor Marsh.

"I bet you Snape's going to ask Professor Marsh to the Yule Ball," said Ginny.

"Of course he is," said Hermione. "But I don't think she'll say yes."

"Who are you going to ask, Harry?" Ginny asked, and grinned.

"You," said Harry, giving her a kiss on the cheek. The two of them had been going out from the beginning of fourth year. Ginny was happy Harry was taking her, because otherwise she wouldn't get to go. Ron was taking Hermione, because they were dating too.

"Once she turns him down, I bet he'll take it out on us students," Ron continued.

"Let's hope she doesn't, then." Ginny shrugged.

…

The next day, Snape caught Professor Marsh on her way to lunch in the Great Hall. She turned around, her deep blue eyes full of curiosity.

"What is it, Professor Snape?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I-I…" Snape leaned down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "Would you…would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Professor Marsh pursed her lips and looked down. She let out a deep sigh, then said, "I…I never knew you felt that way about me."

"Well, I do, and it's time I did something about it," Snape told her. "Would you like to be my date?"

"I'm sorry, Severus, I really am," said Professor Marsh, not looking in his direction. "But I think it would be best if we just stayed friends. Do you know what I mean?"

"No," said Snape, because he very well knew they weren't friends. Why did he even bother? Professor Marsh thought he was creepy—like an overgrown bat, as Quirrell had put it…

"I'm sorry," Professor Marsh whispered, and with a swish of blue witch's robes, she was gone.


	2. Vrack the Violent vs. Nargl the Nosy

The next afternoon, Harry and his two best friends were chatting casually about—what else?—the Yule Ball on their way to History of Magic class. As they approached the classroom, Harry and Ron no longer felt the dread they had experienced while Professor Binns was the teacher. It wasn't just that they both kind of had little crushes on Professor Marsh—she also made the class fun.

When they opened the door, most of the students were already there. Professor Marsh was sitting behind her desk, shuffling papers absentmindedly. Something told them that Snape had asked her…and she had rejected him. After all, he had looked even surlier than usual at breakfast that morning.

"She doesn't have to go with anyone she doesn't like, but she should probably find a date for this thing soon," Hermione was saying. "She's going to feel so left out."

"Well, who's she going to go with? Flitwick?" said Ron.

"They're just friends," said Harry.

"Maybe she can go solo," Hermione said. "I mean, it's not against the law. It's not like we're required to bring dates."

"I am," Harry reminded her. "It works out, though, because Ginny wouldn't be able to go at all otherwise."

"All right, everyone, listen up," Professor Marsh said brightly, cutting their conversation short. She tucked one strand of shoulder-length blonde hair behind her ear and smiled. "Today we're going to be studying giant wars."

The class groaned collectively, remembering what it was like to listen to Professor Binns tell them about it.

"But!" Professor Marsh winked. "First I will need two volunteers."

"Um, I'll be a volunteer," said Harry, raising his hand.

"Me too," said Ron, probably only because Harry was doing it.

"Wonderful," said Professor Marsh, and she handed each of them a Styrofoam club. "Harry, you'll be Vrack the Violent; Ron, you'll be Nargl the Nosy. Now duel, just as the giants would have done!"

Harry and Ron had fun hitting each other with the Styrofoam clubs, and the whole class was laughing, even Hermione. When class was over, their assignment was one roll of parchment on giant wars, to be handed in within a week. Everyone was in a good mood when they left class.

"Thank God," said Ron, "for Professor Marsh."


	3. Amare Leporum

As soon as classes had let out for the day, and Snape had finished terrifying a fresh batch of first years, he retreated to his office in the dungeons again. More people were going to ask Professor Marsh, he knew, and it was only a matter of time until she said yes to someone. But he couldn't stand the thought of her in someone else's arms. This wasn't the first time he had been hurt in love, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.

Would it be worth it to give her a Love Potion? After all, he was the Potions Master…and, of course, that meant that if she suddenly agreed to go with him, everyone would assume he'd slipped her a Love Potion. Besides, it would wear off after a few days, and Snape wanted something permanent.

The Imperius Curse? No, not even Snape could bring himself to do that. Besides, Professor Marsh had been an Auror, so she'd have no trouble resisting…and Snape didn't feel like going to Azkaban just because he couldn't find a date for the Yule Ball…

So he couldn't use a Love Potion, he certainly couldn't Imperius her, and he couldn't seduce her using his natural charm…

Charm! That's it!

Snape couldn't believe he had forgotten all about the Romance Charm. It wasn't illegal, it didn't wear off, and there were only three ways it could be broken—if the caster of the spell died, if the caster lifted the spell, or if the victim saw her true love's face (in person only). Snape didn't think this would be an issue, though, because as far as he knew, Professor Marsh had no true love. She certainly hadn't mentioned any boyfriends or flames. Still, though…

Snape sighed. It would be wrong, he knew, to manipulate Professor Marsh this way. But all he wanted was a date! After much internal debate, he decided that he would cast the Romance Charm on her now, but lift the spell once the Yule Ball was over. It wouldn't hurt anyone. She would remember none of it, of course, and he would have her for the night. Fleeting, but he'd make it meaningful.

Shaking his head, Snape grabbed a bag of Floo powder off his desk and tossed it into his fire, then said out loud, "Lucy's office". Then, he had a clear view.

Professor Marsh was sitting on her desk, talking to a house-elf wearing an odd assortment of clothes. The elf had big ears, like bats' wings, and even bigger eyes; he was listening sympathetically to what Professor Marsh was telling him. To Snape's surprise, she sounded tearful.

"B-But I never believed it, Dobby," she was saying, her voice trembling. "And it would've…it would've been so perfect…if none of it had ever happened…there was foul play somewhere, I just know it!"

Professor Marsh conjured a tissue and blew her nose.

"Dobby believes Professor Marsh," Dobby said earnestly.

"Call me Lucy, please, Dobby," she said miserably. "The Yule Ball just would've been so much better…It's just, y'know, I wasn't an Auror back then, I was barely out of my teens, I should've done something but I didn't know, I didn't know! I just let it happen and I regret it every day!"

She burst into tears.

Snape didn't know what to do. How could he interrupt Professor Marsh's sob-fest? And what on Earth was she crying about, anyway? From her words, it sounded like she was talking about the first Great Wizarding War. But what was it that she never believed? And what would have been perfect? When she said "none of it", he assumed she was talking about Voldemort's reign of power…Professor Marsh had become an Auror after the Dark Lord's downfall, probably because she wanted to prevent him from rising ever again—sort of like how Snape had left the Dark Side after the same Dark Lord had killed the woman he loved. But what did Professor Marsh mean by "foul play"? And what was this horrible thing that she had let happen…but should have tried to prevent?

It doesn't matter, Snape told himself harshly. Whatever it is, it obviously happened a long time ago, and she should forget about it. First I have to get rid of that house-elf, though.

Snape stepped through the fire and entered her office.

"Um, hello, Professor Marsh," he said uncomfortably, knowing it would probably be rude to ask her what she'd been crying about. "Are…are you all right?"

"Yes," she told him, sniffing. She looked up at him; her deep blue eyes were still swimming with tears, making her mascara run. Snape wanted to wipe her tears away like they do in the movies, but he was afraid she would not want it.

"Good," he said, shuffling his feet. "Dobby, will you please leave?"

Dobby was scared of Snape, so he bolted from the room right away.

"What are you here for, Professor Snape?" Professor Marsh asked, looking suspicious as well as sad.

"Well, um, I think I may have found you a date," said Snape nervously; after all, it wasn't a lie.

"I don't want a date." Professor Marsh's voice trembled again, and Snape felt the blood rushing to his face, since he didn't want her to cry again.

"Look, he's right there at the door," said Snape, pointing at the door with his wand.

"What?" Professor Marsh looked surprised. But as soon as she turned her back—

"Amare Leporum!" Snape bellowed, hitting her square in the back with a flash of red light. Her blue eyes went wide for a split second—then she collapsed onto the floor, out like a light. Snape approached her cautiously.

Finally, he worked up the nerve to pull her to a standing position. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was a little messed-up, and her eyes were closed. She had a death grip on Snape's arms. Luckily, there was some Floo powder in Professor Marsh's office as well; Snape used it to return to his office, and as soon as they got there, he helped her into a chair. Finally, he conjured up a glass of water, and let a bit of it trickle onto her face, hopefully bringing her back to consciousness. After what felt like hours of waiting, Snape saw Professor Marsh's blue eyes open.

"Severus," she whispered. Snape was shocked, as she rarely called him by his first name.

"W-What?" he asked.

"Why have I never noticed how…how handsome you are?" Professor Marsh lowered her voice and stood up, stroking Snape's cheek. So the Romance Charm had worked!

"Does that mean you've changed your answer to my question?" Snape asked tentatively. "About the Yule Ball, I mean?"

"Oh, of course," she cooed. "Who else would I rather go with?"

"That means so much to me, Professor Marsh," he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. To his delight, she did not pull away.

"Please…" She grinned seductively. "Call me Lucy."


	4. Suspicions

Nobody could believe what they saw at breakfast that morning, teachers or students, and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were no exception.

"Check it out," said Ginny, pointing at Snape and Professor Marsh, who were cuddling each other like two lovesick teenagers. "I guess Professor Marsh changed her mind about old Snape-O."

"No she hasn't," Ron told her. "I bet he's used the Imperius Curse to make her love him."

"Don't be silly, Ron, that's illegal," said Hermione. "Obviously he used a Love Potion."

"Oh, of course," said Ron. "I forgot he was the evil Potions Master."

"I can't believe you forgot that, Ron," said Ginny. "Didn't he teach you today, too? If you ask me, he was a bit spacy. Kept going back to his desk and ignoring us...I mean, somebody could have caught on fire and he wouldn't have noticed."

"And he's always giving a huge amount of points to Ravenclaw, I've heard," Hermione added.

"Pathetic," said Ron.

"At least Snape seems happier," Harry pointed out. "I mean, he's too busy thinking about Professor Marsh to bully us."

"But now we don't have Professor Marsh," said Ginny. "She's spacy now, too. Now she makes us read from our textbook in History of Magic so she can stare out the window and dream about Snape, and she keeps giving points to Slytherin. Why can't teachers just not fall in love?"

"And she doesn't love him for real, you know," Hermione reminded her. "Sure, the potion can make her infatuated--she believes she loves him--but nothing can make her have real romantic feelings."

"So you can't mix up love in a cauldron," said Ginny airily. "Harry and me, though..."

"Your love is true," said Ron, rolling his eyes. For the most part, he was fine with his sister dating Harry, and it made Hermione happy too.

"And your love is true," said Harry teasingly, referring to Ron's relationship with Hermione.

"Shut up," said Ron.

Hermione stared across the table at Professor Marsh and Snape, still cuddling. "You know, something just occurred to me...Snape went to school with your parents, didn't he, Harry?"

"Of course," said Harry.

"Well, what if Professor Marsh knew Snape from school, too?" Hermione continued. "I mean, they look about the same age."

"Snape was interested in my mom, though, not Professor Marsh," Harry reminded her.

"But that didn't exactly work out, though, did it?" said Hermione. "I wonder if he thinks he's actually found someone in Professor Marsh. The thing is, though, the Love Potion is going to wear off soon, so he's going to have to keep slipping it to her."

"For the rest of his life," Harry said dully. "At least he didn't think of doing that to my mom...or at least, I hope he didn't."

"I still think Professor Marsh knew your parents, though," said Hermione.

"Why don't we ask her?" said Ginny brightly. "I bet she has some great stories to tell."


	5. Not Herself

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny visited Professor Marsh's office later that day, after they were all done with their classes. (Ginny wasn't in any of theirs, since she was a year below them, but they hung out during their downtime, and as a couple, she and Harry wanted to spend as much time together as possible.)

"Hello," Professor Marsh said brightly. She was sitting on her desk, one leg folded over the other. "What can I do you for?"

"Professor Marsh," said Ginny bluntly, "did you go to school with Snape?"

"You mean Severus?" said Professor Marsh. The four Gryffindors saw her blue eyes misting over again, like they did every time someone mentioned the Potions Master. "Oh, yes. I was two years above him, so I didn't know him very well, but now that I think about it…why didn't we go out?"

"Told you," Hermione whispered.

"Severus was always so handsome," Professor Marsh continued dreamily. "For some reason, not a lot of people thought so, and there were these bullies…I think one of them was named Potter or something…and he would always pick on poor Severus! I was friends with Lily Evans, and she liked him too, but they were just friends…oh, why didn't I date him? Why?"

"So you're going to the Yule Ball with him?" Harry asked, trying to ignore the jab at his father—she wasn't herself, she was under the influence of a Love Potion...

"Yes, I am," said Professor Marsh. "I just love those black robes he wears! Couldn't you just die? Oh, if only I had him in my arms right now…"

Ron pretended to be barfing behind Professor Marsh's back, while Hermione stared up at her teacher in astonishment. Could these words actually be coming out of Professor Marsh's mouth? Hermione didn't like it, but she had to admit, that was one good Love Potion.

"You see, I know he likes me best," said Professor Marsh, getting off her desk and sweeping about the room, gently bumping into things on occasion as she spoke, her eyes almost unfocused. "Severus is perfect. Do you know how good he is at magic, even nonverbal magic? Of course, he's also good at making potions…Oh my God, he's good at everything, he loves me, I love him…who isn't in love with him? Who couldn't resist his allure?"

"Um…we could," said Ginny. "Don't you realize he just slipped you a Love Potion? You don't love Snape, you just think you do."

"Nonsense!" Professor Marsh looked horrified and indignant both. "You're just jealous!"

"Jealous of what?" said Hermione. "Professor, after the potion wears off, you'll be back to normal. Just make sure you don't eat or drink anything Snape gives you after that, okay?"

"I'm not listening! I'm not listening!" Professor Marsh put her hands over her ears. "No wonder you're acting this way! Anyone in their right mind would be jealous of our beautiful, perfect relationship, and it's too bad for you that I'm with the most handsome teacher in school, and you're not! What are you trying to do, separate us?"

"It's for your own good, Professor!" Hermione looked desperate now.

"No, it is not!" Professor Marsh looked furious now. "If you try to separate Severus and me again, you will have us both to answer to! I don't want to see your faces in here anymore! And don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

Feeling horrified at the way Professor Marsh had changed, the four students scuttled down the hall. That was one powerful Love Potion.


	6. Kiss

After term ended, and for the week leading up to Christmas Day (and the Yule Ball) things remained the same. Professor Marsh was crazy for Snape. She didn't have classes to teach anymore, but she'd talk about Snape to anyone who would listen, sounding like a middle school girl who had a crush on a famous rock star.

When Christmas finally arrived, Snape was nervous out of his wits. The last time he'd gone to a school-organized dance event was prom, in his third year, in 1974—he'd taken Lily Evans, but he'd face-planted onto the ground during the middle of "Twist and Shout" and had to go to the hospital wing, and James got to dance with Lily during "Unchained Melody". It wasn't fair, and Snape never wanted to go to a dance again. But this time, he had a date, and she was under a Romance Charm. There was no way he would lift the spell, she had no true love, and he was in no immediate danger of dying, surely—there was no way this could go wrong.

Snape had a lot of final exams to grade over break; he made a mental note to take as many points from Gryffindor as he could, and give lots of extra points to Ravenclaw. It would be great if Slytherin won the House Cup this year, but honestly, Professor Marsh would be _so_ happy if Ravenclaw won…maybe he should just go ahead and let them win…

It was no use trying to grade the papers. Snape could think only of the Yule Ball in a few hours. All he could do was stare at the clock, ticking away in silence—until someone burst in.

Snape let out a cry of surprise, but Professor Marsh smiled. "Only me!"

"Only you?" said Snape incredulously. "You should knock before you come in! You scared me half to death! And if you'd scared me to death, you wouldn't have had a date for tonight, would you?"

"Oh, stop it, Severus." Professor Marsh giggled girlishly. "I haven't even changed yet."

"Haven't you?" said Snape, glad for a reason to look at her whole body, not just her face. She had a curvy, womanly figure he loved—and secretly wanted to get his hands on, although that probably wasn't a very professional thing to try to do. Apart from Lily Evans, he had never met a woman so beautiful.

"Obviously not," said Professor Marsh, walking to Snape's desk and sitting down in his chair.

"What are you doing there?" he asked.

"Sitting," said Professor Marsh simply. When Snape said nothing, she added, "If you want me to keep loving you, I think you should be less stingy…but Severus, how could I ever stop loving you?"

_She loves me!_ Snape thought, then he remembered, _Oh right…it's just the Romance Charm…oh well, at least I did it right…_

"I'm glad you feel that way," Snape mumbled.

"Now, let me show you something you'll love a lot more than that chair," Professor Marsh said mysteriously. She stood up and walked over to Snape, placing her arms around his neck. Nervously, he put his hands on her waist.

"I don't think I could love anything more than you, Lucy," Snape whispered. "Or anybody…"

Snape felt as if Professor Marsh had put a very strong Romance Charm on him, instead of the other way around. They leaned in closer to each other, Snape and Professor Marsh, standing there, together, their arms thrown around each other, in Snape's dungeon office, until the remaining space between their lips was gone.


	7. Yuletide Surprise

At eight that evening, the Yule Ball began. Everyone was excited to go...as long as they had a date, that is, and most people had arranged dates. Ron was going with Hermione; Harry, with Ginny; McGonagall, with Dumbledore; and everyone knew that, as crazy as it seemed, Professor Lucy Marsh had agreed to go with Snape.

Harry had picked out dress robes specifically for this occasion, and although he didn't say it, he knew they were better than Ron's were. They looked better after the lace had been cut off, but they still looked tattered and worn.

Meanwhile, Snape was trying on his dress robes too. Professor Marsh, or Lucy, as he now knew her, let him know that she liked his black robes very much, but maybe a little bit of color would be good for something as special as a Yule Ball. So they'd gone shopping for robes, and he had settled on some Slytherin-green ones with silver lining. Lucy hadn't revealed what hers would be, because she wanted them to be a surprise.

And he certainly was surprised, when they met up in the Great Hall.

Lucy's short blonde hair was usually straight, maybe a little naturally wavy, but she had curled it. Her dress robes were Ravenclaw-blue with bronze lining. Snape smiled slightly, remembering the big House Pride trend that had been going on at Hogwarts when he and Lucy had gone there. Lucy didn't spend her days in a mass of blue and bronze anymore, but maybe she'd gotten the idea from his Slytherin robes. Snape loved the way the robes were tight, accentuating Lucy's body.

The crowd of students was forced to clap for all the teachers, even though Snape was none too popular, and hardly any of the students thought they were actually in love. They all thought Snape had tricked Lucy in one way or another, probably by a Love Potion, because how else would the Potions Master do it?

Snape awkwardly took Lucy into his arms, and they began to dance. The Yule Ball was supposed to end at midnight, so Snape knew he had four hours until it was time for him to lift the spell. After all, he'd _promised_ himself—this was just for the Yule Ball. After it was done, he'd take the spell off of Lucy, she'd remember none of it, and everyone could forget it ever happened…well, he would never be able to forget it, but maybe it was better that way. No matter what, though, he had to make these four hours last…

Alas, midnight came too soon. Lucy was a few inches shorter than Snape, and she was staring lovingly up into his eyes, like he was all she wanted in the world.

"I love you, Lucy Marsh." Snape swallowed hard. "You have no idea how much it pains me to say goodbye."

"What—goodbye?" Lucy looked startled, and her deep blue eyes filled with tears. "Severus, are you breaking up with me?"

"I'm sorry," Snape told her, his voice constricted. "This will be our very last night together."

"Oh, please, Severus, no!" Lucy shrieked, attracting the attention of several other ball-goers. "I _love_ you!"

"No, you don't." Snape shook his head sadly. "You just think you do."

"I love you more than life itself, Severus," Lucy pleaded. She looked like she was about to throw herself off a bridge. "Please, don't leave me!"

"Okay, I won't," Snape reassured her. That was it, he didn't have to tell her; he could just tell her he loved her one more time, then take the spell off. She would wonder what she was doing here, and she would look at him with disgust. Never again would he be in her arms. Never again would he run his fingers through her hair, which smelled delightfully of coconuts. Never again would he press his lips against hers…

"You mean…we're not going to break up?" Lucy said hopefully.

"Of course not," Snape told her. "I'll always love you."

Snape took a deep breath and reached for his pocket, where he kept his wand, so he could perform the counter-charm. This was going to break his icy heart, but he had to do it…

"In that case," Lucy was saying, "I have an announcement to make."

"Yes, yes, that's right…" Snape was still fumbling for his wand, not listening to her.

"Everyone, I am no longer Lucy Marsh!" Lucy declared, raising her voice so the whole Great Hall could hear.

Snape looked up and his fingers dropped his wand. What on Earth did she mean?

"I'm afraid I don't quite get your drift," said Dumbledore, who looked as confused as anybody else.

"Now," said Lucy, her grin growing wider with every word, "I am Lucy _Snape_."

"Y-You're Lucy _Snape_?" said Dumbledore, clearly astonished. "You two are…engaged?!"

"Yep!" Lucy looked ecstatic. "I want to marry Severus! That's all right with you, isn't it, sweetie?"

"Um…" Snape looked around. Everyone in the Great Hall was staring at him.

"Well, Severus?" Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling. "Is it all right? Would you like to marry Lucy Marsh?"

"Of—of course!" Snape blurted out, before he could stop himself, and everyone cheered; Lucy cheered the loudest of all. Dumbledore seemed excited.

"Oh, Severus, I had no idea!" said the Headmaster, rushing up to Snape and grabbing him around the shoulders. "You two, engaged! I'll do it all! Don't you two lovebirds worry about a thing! We'll have the wedding one week from now, is that cool? Wonderful! Oh, gracious, this will be fun!"

Lucy was beaming, but Snape seemed to have forgotten how to talk. Obviously, he couldn't have turned down Lucy's "proposal" in front of the entre school…not even he was _that_ heartless. And if he had to go along with this, Lucy was as wonderful a wife as any. But still…

_Married?_


	8. Insanely in Love

Hardly any of the students at Hogwarts thought Lucy had fallen in love with Snape without some sort of manipulation, but they weren't complaining. The wedding was scheduled for one week after Christmas, which was traditionally the day the new term started. This meant, of course, that they would have a day off from school to watch the wedding. Dumbledore had insisted on officiating. Professor Flitwick wanted to be Snape's best man, since he was friends with Lucy, and as for the maid of honor, Lucy had supposedly chosen her younger sister, Evelyn, due to arrive at Hogwarts in only a few days.

Hermione wasn't happy that they had to skip a day of their new term.

"I was really looking forward to it," she was complaining at lunch the day after the Yule Ball. "I mean, it's nice that Dumbledore wants us to watch the wedding and all, but…"

"Why are they having it at Hogwarts, anyway?" said Ginny. "Can't they have it in a church or something?"

"I think because Hogwarts is the most meaningful place to them," said Harry. "Or at least to Snape, since Marsh isn't in her right mind…"

"How does he sleep at night?" said Hermione. "Doesn't he feel guilty about this at all?"

"Of course not." Ron rolled his eyes. "I bet he's just congratulating himself on how good he is at making Love Potions…cackling to himself as he stirs his cauldron…"

 

* * *

 

Snape wasn't cackling to himself or stirring a cauldron. All he was doing was trying to grade papers, which he had been trying to do ever since school let out for the holidays. Well, he needed to get it done before the students got back…

But all he could think about was Lucy, because he was out of his mind with worry. Everyone seemed to be whispering about him now, whether he was imagining it or not. Maybe he shouldn't have given this Romance Charm to Lucy. What if he died all of a sudden, and Lucy found herself wondering why she had suddenly stopped loving her husband? Wait, that wouldn't happen, because if the spell ever broke, she wouldn't remember marrying him anyway…But what if somebody found out? Good Heavens, what if _Dumbledore_ found out, and gave him the sack?

Unable to concentrate on grading papers, Snape got up and stared out the window. Would he only be insane like this for the one week before the wedding, or would he be insane for the rest of his life? How on Earth did he get himself into this mess? Snape sat down at his desk again and tried to take points from Gryffindor to get his mind off things, wondering if he really was losing his mind.

 _Yes, I am,_ he decided, since he realized that he had been doodling hearts and flowers in red ink all over Draco Malfoy's Potions essay. What was he, a middle school girl? There was no way Malfoy wouldn't notice this once he got the essay back. Well, he _wasn't_ getting that essay back! Snape chucked Malfoy's essay into the fire, making a mental note to tell him to do it over. That was when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he groaned.

It was Albus Dumbledore. The door swung open as the old wizard entered and pulled up a chair. "Hello, Severus."

"Hello, Headmaster," Snape replied, glad he had already disposed of Malfoy's essay.

"You were hoping it was Lucy, weren't you?" Dumbledore grinned.

"I'm trying to grade papers, Professor." Snape shrugged and held up an essay. The heat level in the room seemed to be rising, especially in his face, so he was intent on changing the subject. "How many points do you think I should take off from Neville Longbottom's essay? Apparently he thinks a spoonful of sugar is a good antidote for rattlesnake poison…hmm, about twenty, maybe, perhaps thirty…I'll give him rattlesnake poison, I will…"

"Don't take that many, please," said Dumbledore. "Only about five."

"Oh, more than that, surely." Snape shook his head. "How about…fifteen? Yeah, he'll think he can get away with it if I don't take away at least fifteen points. Here…wait…"

"Please don't," said Dumbledore. "Why do you think I came here, anyway?"

"To distract me from grading papers?"

"No, to talk about the wedding!"

Snape put his head down on his desk and sighed heavily.

"I'd love to talk about the wedding with you, Headmaster, but I can't do it with all these papers to grade," Snape told him, once again glad he was rid of Malfoy's essay. "I have so much work to do. I love Lucy more than life itself, of course, but…"

"Say no more," said Dumbledore. "I suppose you don't need to think about it now, but I do want you to know, I am working very hard at planning, and I was wondering if you are prepared as well."

"Of course I am," said Snape, even though he didn't think this was true at all.

"Lucy came into my office today, you know," Dumbledore continued. "She loves you with every bit of her heart, Severus. You really don't know the half of it."

"What did she say?" Snape asked, in spite of himself.

"She says she dreams about you every night," Dumbledore said. "She says she can't focus on anything anymore, especially when you're together. She says you'll always have a special place in her heart and that your love is a strong bond that nothing can break."

 _Well, there are three ways to break the Romance Charm,_ Snape couldn't help thinking. But what he said was, "I love her too."

"That's exactly why we should go and see her," said Dumbledore, standing up. "Come on."


	9. Snowy White Romance

  Finally, Dumbledore and Snape reached Lucy's office. Snape knocked nervously.

 "Come in," said Lucy's misty voice.

"Good afternoon, Lucy," said Snape, walking into her office, Dumbledore following closely behind.

"Oh, Sevykins! I'm so glad you're here!" cried Lucy, grabbing Snape and pulling him into a rib-smashing hug. "How _are_ you, handsome?"

"Just fine, now that I'm with you," said Snape mysteriously.

"I'll leave you two alone, now, shall I?" Dumbledore winked and edged out of the room.

"Thank you, Professor!" Lucy chirped, grabbing onto Snape's arm. When the door shut, she looked out the window. Her office was on the second floor, and it looked out onto the courtyard.

"What are you looking at?" Snape asked.

"Well, it's a beautiful snowy day," Lucy pointed out. "Why don't we go outside? There's a nice little bench we can sit on!"

"Um, yeah, a bench," said Snape, knowing where this was going. Sure, he loved kissing Lucy, but there were, well… _students_ out there, and they were already gossiping enough. They were happy about the wedding, but only because it meant they could skip a day of school.

"Okay, good, let's go!" Lucy smiled at Snape and pulled him out of the room. They walked down to the first floor and out to the courtyard, where there were plenty of students milling about, enjoying their break—sitting under the trees, having snowball fights, ice-skating on the lake…but when they saw Snape and Lucy come out of the school, they all stared and started whispering behind their hands, just as Snape feared. Lucy, however, didn't seem to care or even notice.

"We can sit there." Snape pointed at a snowy white bench. After he'd used a spell to keep it warm for them, they sat down. Lucy started chattering about the wedding.

"I've been waiting for you all day, you know," she gushed. "You are _so_ handsome, I bet you get that all the time, don't you?"

"Not really," Snape said uncomfortably.

"Well, you should!" Lucy said forcefully. "I mean, you're practically perfect in every way! I can't wait for the wedding, can you? It's going to be so much fun…Evvy is excited too!"

"Evvy?" Snape raised his eyebrow.

"My sister," Lucy explained. "The maid of honor, remember? She loves stuff like this. But oh my God, she could never be more excited than I am! I get to kiss you again!" She paused, then belted out, "ONE WEEK FROM NOW, MY TRUE LOVE WILL KISS ME ONCE MORE!"

"Lucy, shh!" Snape hushed her frantically, because Hogwarts students were staring even more now.

"Not only that, but Evvy's going to help me pick out my wedding dress!" Lucy was completely wrapped up in her Snape obsession now. "And…wait a minute, you're going to wear a tuxedo, aren't you? You'll look adorable, simply adorable!"

Snape felt strange then; he was torn between his old self, who did not want to look adorable and kept insisting that he wasn't a good match for Lucy. Then the other half of him insisted that it didn't matter how good of a "match" they were, as long as they loved each other. But then he remembered that she didn't really love him, she just thought she did—and that was the closest he would ever get.

"Severus?" Lucy whispered. "What's wrong? Did I upset you?"

"Of course not," said Snape. "I just—"

"Shut up," she cooed, grinning slyly. Snape never got to finish his sentence. She put her arms around him, looking up into his eyes. That strange feeling escalated…

"Lucy…there are people," Snape told her desperately.

"I don't care," said Lucy, minimizing the space between her lips and Snape's. "I don't care if they see us. You don't care, do you, Sevykins?"

_Sevykins…_

"No, I couldn't care less, Lucy, dear," said Snape, daring not to look into those deep blue eyes, lest he fall into them. "We can do whatever you want, because whatever you want is what I want."

"Good," whispered Lucy, leaning in even closer. Out of the corner of his eye, Snape saw sparks shooting out of his wand, the same way they did when you were angry. Everything seemed to slow down…and all he could see was Lucy…his beloved Lucy…

"Severus!"

Snape looked up at the sky. _Now I'm in for it,_ he thought, waiting for Dumbledore's reaction to catching him kissing Lucy out in the snow. Dumbledore dashed over to them and grabbed Snape's shoulders.

"Her love for you, your love for her, brings tears to my eyes!" Dumbledore really did have tears in his eyes. "Did you see your wand sending up those fireworks? That means you _really_ love her…how sweet! I can't wait until your wedding in front of the whole school! Won't it be fun, Severus?"

Snape looked at Dumbledore incredulously. "Um, yeah…great."

"You'll be the _best_ person to officiate, Headmaster!" Lucy squealed. "And we can't forget the most important thing I'll do that day…kiss my true love!"

_Or will you?_ Snape thought, but he kept that to himself.


	10. Tears

That evening in the common room, Ron and Ginny were playing a game of Exploding Snap while Harry polished his Firebolt and Hermione worked on some of the assignments they'd been given over break. She had been pestering the others on and off to do theirs, too, but they rarely listened.

"Maybe we should…try to be a little nicer to Snape," said Hermione reluctantly, looking up from her Arithmancy homework. "I mean, he probably hasn't been to a wedding before, ever. I bet he's worried out of his mind."

"Well, I don't know about worried, but I think the wedding thing was a bit of a shocker," said Ginny. "Did you see the look on his face after she announced it? Something tells me she didn't talk it over with him first."

"We get to _skip a day of school,_ Ginny," said Ron. "I don't care who he's marrying."

"Did you see them out on that bench?" Harry asked, eyes not leaving his Firebolt. "It was disgusting."

"Yeah, with his wand shooting off fireworks and all," Ginny added.

Hermione was writing on a piece of parchment now. "Well, Snape is _human,_ you know."

"Nobody in this school thinks it's romantic, though," said Ron. "Just stupid."

"Well, Dumbledore seems to think it's romantic…" Harry admitted. "I mean, he offered to plan the whole wedding. I guess he thinks she really had a change of heart about him."

 

* * *

 

 

Hermione was right again. Snape was worried out of his mind. In less than a week, it would be his wedding day. Part of him felt guilty for doing this to Lucy in the first place; part of him felt nervous because he wanted everything to be perfect. To be honest, he would be ecstatic to spend the rest of his life with her…maybe even start a family with her. They'd make passionate love, every night…What did she wear to bed? Nothing? Did anyone know besides her?

 _These are not appropriate thoughts,_ Snape told himself. Weddings were supposed to be romantic, not…sexy. That was their honeymoon. Oh no…the honeymoon! Snape was even _less_ prepared for THAT! Oh no…panic attack coming on…panic attack…

Snape rushed to his office to make himself a Calming Drought. But he was halfway through when who should come into his office but Lucy herself. Startled, Snape accidentally spilled the half-made potion all over himself.

"Don't worry." Lucy smiled, laughed, waved her wand— _"Scourgify!"_

The mess was gone. Still, Snape said nothing.

"What's the matter, sweets?" Lucy asked, walking over and clinging to Snape's arm.

"Nothing," Snape reassured her. "I just spilled this potion."

"Sevykins, you're worrying me," Lucy whimpered. Snape could see tears leaking out of her blue eyes. "You just seem so…distant! Withdrawn! We aren't over, are we? The wedding isn't off, isn't it? Oh, I couldn't bear to live!"

"Lucy, of course our wedding's not off!" Snape said frantically. "I'm sorry if I haven't been paying enough attention to you. I'm a little nervous for the wedding too…you see, I'm not good at this stuff."

"But then you should _talk_ to me, not hide!" Lucy insisted.

"I know that now," said Snape, feeling ashamed. Lucy still had feelings besides love, he realized…and he wasn't sure exactly what the Romance Charm did to those feelings. She had only been teaching here since the beginning of the year, when Professor Binns decided to retire, and Snape didn't know her very well. When they went to Hogwarts, she'd been two years above him, and they never really paid much attention to each other.

"We need to spend more time together," said Lucy sadly.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure we will." Snape touched Lucy's shoulders, knowing that sparks were flying out of his wand again.

"I really love you, Sevykins," Lucy whined, her eyes full of tears again.

 _No! You DON'T! This is all pretend! But I can't say that!_ Upon seeing Snape's look of confusion, Lucy looked closer than ever to bursting into tears.

"Darling, please don't cry!" Snape felt desperate. Lucy was leaning on his chest, full-out sobbing.

"You don't love me anymore, I can tell!" she wailed. "And if that's how you want it…I won't bother you with my presence any longer!"

"Lucy, NO!" Snape shouted after her as she bolted out of Snape's dungeon office, her hands over her face.


	11. Research

There were many, many things that Snape did not like (James Potter and the rest of the Marauders were pretty high up on the list). But perhaps one of the things he hated most of all was...feelings. Yes, he was feeling just about devastated right now, and he _hated_ it. Sure, Lucy's feelings of love weren't real. But her feelings of hurt were. Snape had caused the woman he loved to be hurt, and as much as he hated to admit it, that had hurt him, too. For the next few days, he was absolutely miserable.

Lucy was acting so strange lately. She wasn't the type of person to wear her heart on her sleeve, so you could never quite tell what she was feeling. In fact, that was the part of her personality that had attracted Snape in the first place—she was mysterious. It wasn't easy to figure her out.

But now...

 _Maybe it has something to do with the Romance Charm,_ Snape thought, and he headed to the library. It took hours, but he finally found a book that might work ( _Advanced Charms to Use on Humans_ ).

"Romance Charm, Romance Charm…" Snape muttered, turning the pages. Finally, he found it. "Aha! Romance Charm!"

Snape read the passage quietly to himself.

_The Romance Charm (Amare Leporum) is the most commonly used spell to make one person fall in love with another. The charm works on Muggles as well as witches and wizards, but obviously can only be performed by a witch or wizard. The spell is N.E.W.T. level and though it is not illegal, it is generally frowned upon, not only because it is morally wrong but also because it is dangerous._

_If the victim of the spell is not hit hard enough, he or she can flicker between love and indifference. But if the victim is hit too hard, it can become an obsession. The victim will often lose all sense of self and only be able to focus on the caster. The victim may become clingy at best and completely dependent on the caster at worst._

_This spell does not come with many side effects, but there are some that have been reported. The biggest side effect is that the victim may become an emotional roller coaster, displaying bouts of either extreme sadness or anger, particularly when under stress. The victim may suffer from delusions. Most importantly, when under the trance, the victim will not remember any lovers upon mention, past or present. If the spell is lifted, he or she will remember nothing that happened during the trance._

_There are three ways to break the spell: the first, if the caster lifts the spell; second, if the caster dies; or third, on the rare occasion that the victim sees his or her true love in person. But this is only true if the caster and the victim are unmarried. As soon as the caster and the victim share a kiss at the altar after saying their vows, the Romance Charm is permanent. It cannot be broken even if the caster wishes to lift the spell. The victim will be trapped forever._

Shutting the book, Snape gulped and swallowed. After their wedding day, Lucy would be in love with him permanently. Even if he wanted to lift the spell. Even if he died. Even if (by some chance) she had a true love and she saw him in the living flesh. In fact—according to the book, she wouldn't even recognize him.

No matter what happened, she would always be his.

"I knew it was too good to be true," Snape mumbled, shoving the book away from him. There was no way he could go through with this. Yes, he would love to spend the rest of his life with Lucy. That sounded even better than Gryffindor coming in fourth place at the Inter-House Championship at the end of the school year. But what about her?

 _What ABOUT her?_ Snape asked himself defiantly. After all, once she was done crying, Lucy would probably be happier this way! She didn't have a lover before, and now she had one! It wasn't as if she was _suffering,_ really. Well, except from the mood swings, but that was different. The mood swings were a side effect, not the actual Romance Charm itself!

Snape had a choice to make. Either he could keep Lucy under his spell permanently, or he could lift the spell and lose her forever. There was no alternative.

 _What am I going to DO?_ Snape wondered, putting his head in his hands. But when he heard a familiar soft voice, he looked up—

"S-Severus?"

"Lucy?" Snape said quietly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Snape said back, getting up and walking over to her.

"I'm just getting more material for History of Magic class, which starts again in three days, since the students aren't going to have that day off anymore…" Lucy's lip trembled. Snape paused for a moment, his black eyes looking into Lucy's blue ones. There was only silence.

Then he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her passionately on the lips like he had never done before.

"Oh, you know the wedding was never off, honey," Snape told her, barely knowing what he was saying as he took her into his arms. "I'm sorry for making you think that…I know you're under a lot of stress…we both are, in fact…"

"Evvy just flew in yesterday," Lucy told him. "She took a Muggle airplane, but she didn't really mind, since she got to sit next to a baby, and she likes babies a real lot…Did I tell you she delivers babies at St. Mungo's now?"

"Wait, was Evvy that one who kind of looks like you, only a little shorter? Usually wears a braid?" Snape asked warily.

"Yes," said Lucy.

"Oh, um…" Snape winced; he had seen Evvy prancing along in the hallways. She was a true Hufflepuff to the core—an annoyingly positive, squealy, bouncy, sugar-sweet ball of energy. Anyone could tell she was almost as excited about the wedding as Lucy was, except she wasn't under a Romance Charm. "It'll be nice to finally meet her."

"She was going to throw me a bridal shower, but she couldn't, because I was a 'jilted bride', as she put it," Lucy told Snape. "But if the wedding's on again…"

"It was never off," said Snape. "By the way, Lucy, I had a question."

"What's that?"

"Well…remember how before term ended, you were talking to that house-elf—Dobby—about something that happened during the First Wizarding War?" Snape asked. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything, but I overheard as I was coming to your office via Floo powder. You were talking about foul play…how there was something you never believed…how there was something bad that happened that you should have tried to stop, but didn't."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Sevykins, I have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

"You mean…you don't remember the First Wizarding War?!"

"Of course I remember it; who doesn't?" Lucy sighed. "I just don't remember there being anything bad happening that I should have prevented."

"You weren't talking about the Potters' deaths, were you?" Snape asked swiftly. Tactless? Maybe. But he had to find out. What if Lucy was just like Lily, and she'd been in love with James?! The horror…but he would find out, because according to the book, if she remembered James, that meant she had never been in love with him. The spell rendered her incapable of remembering past or present lovers.

"No, I don't think I could have done anything to prevent that." Lucy looked a little confused now, like she was trying to work out the details of James and Lily's deaths, but Snape sighed in relief, because she remembered James. "Lily was a friend of mine, remember? I don't really like James because he always bullied you! My only regret from that time was that we didn't date. In fact…I don't think I dated anyone really important back in school."

"But you remember _James_ , right?"

"Very well."

"Good." Snape put his hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter anyway, does it? Because we're getting married in three days, and I love you more than life itself."

"Oh, _Severus!_ " Lucy cried, jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck. Snape was a good four or five inches taller than she was, so it was a bit of a jump for her, too.

"Oh, _Lucy!_ " Snape yelled back, surprising himself a great deal, and knocked her down onto the table as they made out. In fact, he wasn't aware how long it had been until he heard a throat being cleared behind him and a small student voice—"P-Professor S-Snape?"

Snape and Lucy sat up quickly and noticed a shocked-yet-embarrassed Neville Longbottom, who had been hoping to use the desk.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor because you interrupted us," said Snape, pointing towards the door. "Now go."

"Sorry," Neville whimpered, and scuttled off to another desk.

"Now…where were we?" Snape asked, trying to make his voice sound as alluring as possible (not that he really had anything to worry about, since she was bewitched, but still).

"Oh, baby," Lucy whispered. "Love me tender."

Snape was relieved to find that his worries were gone, at least for the moment, and he didn't think about the Romance Charm, or its effects, for the rest of that day.


	12. Madam Puddifoot's

The next morning was Saturday. Snape got up early, because today he had something planned for Lucy. As far as he could tell, they hadn't really been on any official dates, so he figured he could take her to the Three Broomsticks and buy her a butterbeer. Snape's first thought had been the Hog's Head Inn, but that didn't seem very…romantic, really, so he settled on something more mainstream. Ravenclaws didn't typically go for the mainstream, sure, but what else was there?

Snape knew Lucy liked to sleep in, so he was going to wait until maybe noon, just to be safe. But she was in the dungeons by eight sharp.

"Severus!" she trilled. "Good _morn_ -ing!"

"Lucy." Snape opened the door to his dungeon office. "How can I help you?"

"I just wanted to see you on this wonderful day!" she squealed, jumping into his arms. "We get married on Monday, isn't that wonderful? Oh, I can't wait! Evvy is taking me to get my dress tomorrow! I'm so excited I think I'm going to explode!"

"Um, please don't," Snape told her. "How is Dumbledore's planning going, though?"

"Everything's going _great!_ " Lucy gushed. "All the teachers are making the Great Hall beautiful for our wedding!"

"I'm glad to hear it," Snape said. "Anyway, Lucy dear, I was going to say, we haven't really been on an official date in our relationship. I was wondering if I could take my fiancée to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer…"

"That sounds nice, Sevykins, but I know a much better place!" she giggled, grabbing his hand. "C'mon!"

…

Snape was astounded when they entered what Lucy told him was Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. It looked like the kind of place Evvy would love. Sure enough—

"Whenever Evvy had a date, she would go here," Lucy explained, showing the teashop to an aghast Snape. The Potions Master felt very grim and out-of-place with his black robes, cloak, gloves and even hair. The only color on him was his green-and-silver House Pride scarf. Lucy's robes were pink, and so was her cloak. Obviously, her House Pride scarf was blue and bronze. She was wearing a pink ribbon in her hair to match her robes. She fit right in.

There were a bunch of teenagers making out at the tables, but they froze when they saw two teachers walk in. Some of them giggled and pointed; some of them stared; some of them paid and left as soon as they could. Snape felt even more uncomfortable because of this.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else," he mumbled.

"Why?" Lucy pouted. "You aren't worried about what the students might think, are you?"

"Well…" Snape frowned, remembering the passage in the book about people becoming emotional under stress if they also happened to be under the influence of a Romance Charm. The last thing he wanted to do was set Lucy off again. "Of course I don't care. If they try anything funny, we can just take points from them, remember?"

"Oh yes, that's right." Lucy smirked in the direction of some students who had been laughing, Snape gave them a withering glare, and they shut up.

"All right now…" Snape was wondering what to say to Lucy now. Should they talk more about the wedding? Or was it true that Dumbledore had everything under control? "Can you—can you believe this weather we're having?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "It's always snowy in late December."

Snape frowned. Luckily, the two of them were interrupted by Madam Puddifoot, who took their orders. Snape wanted a black coffee; Lucy wanted a hot chocolate.

"You don't like coffee?" Snape asked.

"Not really," Lucy told him. "I just never liked the taste."

"So, um…how's History of Magic going?" Snape continued awkwardly. "I mean, have you come up with your lesson plan yet?"

"Not really," Lucy said distantly. "I haven't been focusing on anything but the wedding."

"But darling, working on a lesson plan is important," Snape told her, even though he was one to talk, because he hadn't started on a lesson plan either. But he had tenure, so that was different…

"Maybe I'll just have them read out of the book some more or something," said Lucy. "You? Just assign your students random potions. Isn't that what you already do, anyway?"

"I guess." Snape shrugged. "But I give them potions that fit their level…first-year students aren't going to be assigned N.E.W.T. level potions, you know…"

"Of course not." Lucy nodded. "After the wedding I bet it'll be easier to teach. I'm just so excited now!"

"I am too," Snape told her.

"Here are your drinks, darlings," said Madam Puddifoot, setting the coffee and hot chocolate down in front of the two teacher-lovers. They drank up for a bit, Snape glad to have something to do with his hands, until he found himself staring across the table at Lucy, black eyes meeting blue.

"Oh, Sevykins, I just love you so," Lucy whispered.

"I love you too," Snape said back, knowing by now that they would kiss. Ignoring the stifled giggles of Hogwarts students sitting around them, Snape and Lucy shared another romantic kiss, right over the coffee and hot chocolate.

…

"You will _never_ believe what I heard about Snape and Professor Marsh this time," Ron was whispering eagerly to Harry, Ginny, and Hermione, who were sitting with him by the common room fire. "Apparently they were at this real lovey-dovey tea shop in Hogsmeade—and they _kissed!_ Everyone at school is talking about it!"

"It's always so weird to see teachers out of school," said Ginny. "Especially if they're making out in a tea shop, which I'm glad I missed."

"Well, she _is_ his fiancée, even if she is under the influence of a Love Potion," said Hermione. "No wonder they went to a tea shop, he probably slipped some more of it right into her tea. How awful. I _told_ her not to eat or drink anything he gives her, but of course she didn't listen."

"She's not going to listen unless you're talking about how wonderful Snape is," Harry said sarcastically.

"If only we had the real Professor Marsh back," said Ron longingly.

"Just like all the boys, you only like her because she's pretty." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"No, she was fun!" Ron protested. "Wasn't she, Harry?"

"Well, maybe she was before Snape gave her the Love Potion," said Harry, although he did think Professor Marsh was quite pretty. "But now she just makes us read the textbook while she dreams about Snape all day! Then on Monday, we actually have to watch them get married. Ugh."

"Maybe he'll forget to give her the Love Potion before the wedding day, she'll remember that she doesn't love him, and she'll run away at the altar," said Ron hopefully.

"Oh yeah, he'll totally forget," said Hermione sarcastically. "Honestly, Ron, this is _Snape_ we're talking about."

"Nothing wrong with a teacher crush," Ginny said mockingly, and both Harry and Ron looked embarrassed, while the girls laughed.


	13. Teachers in Love (Sort of)

Snape and Lucy weren't aware, once they were coming back from their Hogsmeade date, that Harry and his friends were discussing their "romance" at that very moment in the common room. No, the sun was setting, and she was holding his hand as they kicked their way through the snow. Just to be playful, Lucy had swapped their scarves. Snape's green-and-silver scarf was greasy, like his hair, but Lucy didn't seem to mind that. Lucy's blue-and-bronze scarf smelled like her lavender perfume, and it was nice and warm from her body heat, so Snape didn't mind wearing swapping scarves either.

"You've got some snowflakes in your hair, Severus," Lucy said flirtatiously, referring to the white snowflakes that stood out clearly on Snape's black hair. She reached out and jokingly brushed them away with her hand.

"I think they will melt just fine," Snape assured her, and he was shocked to find that he was actually feeling sort of…cheerful.

"Why, Severus!" they heard Madame Rosmerta call from across the street. "I haven't seen you smile like that since…I can't remember when!"

"Do I make you happy, Severus?" Lucy beamed.

"More than you know," said Snape. There were a few straggler students left in Hogsmeade, giggling at Madame Rosmerta's comment, but most of them had gone back to Hogwarts by now (thankfully, Harry and his friends were among them, of course).

Snape and Lucy walked directly into the setting sun, back to the castle. Another day had drawn to a close, and when the morning came, it would be the day before the wedding.

 

* * *

 

 

That morning, everyone was shocked when they came down for breakfast. The Great Hall no longer looked much like the Hogwarts Great Hall; it was all set up for the wedding. There was an aisle down which the bride would walk, and an altar where they would be married. The enchanted ceiling, instead of reflecting the sky outside, looked like the top of the Sistine Chapel. For decorations, there were wreaths and flowers everywhere. The house-elves in the kitchens were working tirelessly at the wedding cake.

"I can't believe this," Ron was saying as they sat down at the table. "Snape and Marsh are _actually_ getting married."

"What are we supposed to call her once they're finally married, anyway?" said Harry. "Professor Snape? How would they know which Snape I was referring to?"

"Under normal circumstances you'd probably call her by her maiden name when she teaches, just to differentiate, and call her Lucy Snape on her downtime," said Hermione. "But since she's affected by a love potion, she'd probably be offended by that suggestion."

"Y'know, Harry, maybe you should tell Hedwig to leave a little 'present' in Snape's cauldron," Ginny said jokingly.

"Then he'd have to clean it out before he could make any more Love Potion for Professor Marsh!" Ron laughed. "She'd get back to sanity…"

"If your ignorance did not allow you to notice," said an all-too-familiar voice behind them, "I can _hear_ you."

"Oh my God!" Hermione gasped.

"Professor Marsh is NOT under the influence of a Love Potion!" Snape yelled. "Twenty points from Gryffindor—each!"

"Aw, come on!" said Ron, but then he shut up, because otherwise Snape might punish them even worse for gossiping about him.

"By the way, you all did very well at your last Potions lesson," said the Potions Master, addressing the table next door. "300 points to Ravenclaw."

Snape glided away, looking self-satisfied; Harry and his friends shared looks of disbelief.


	14. Letter

"I cannot believe that stupid Snape was standing behind us and listening," said Ginny as she watched herself in the mirror. "Doesn't he know anything about privacy?"

"Well, we were gossiping about him, but I suppose it was still rude," Hermione replied thoughtfully. "Do you think I should try to do something with my hair or just leave it the way it is?"

Girls were allowed in the boys' dorms (though not vice versa) so Hermione and Ginny were visiting Harry and Ron. It was Sunday evening and they were looking in the full-length mirror, trying to decide whether they should bother to dress up for the wedding or not.

"Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil are dressing up," Ginny told her.

"Well, it can't be because they support Snape," said Harry from his bed. "They probably just want a reason to put on a pretty dress."

"And plenty of students, including me, are glad to have the first day of term off!" Ron said gleefully. "I mean, I don't want to go to that stupid wedding tomorrow, but it's better than double Potions or something like that!"

"I'm probably just going to go in my school uniform," Hermione resolved. "Ginny?"

"I will too," Ginny agreed. "I'm probably going to go to bed though. We can't be sleepy for the wedding."

"Good idea," said Hermione. They said their goodnights to Harry and Ron, and left the dorm room.

"You know, the only reason I'm really going is the food," said Ron. "Otherwise I'd probably find a way to skive off."

"We should bring some of it to Sirius, though," Harry reminded him. "If he's living on rats, cake should taste pretty good. There are probably cookies and candy too. But meat is what fills you up."

"They'll have all of that at the wedding," said Ron. "Write him to let him know you're coming, though, at least. Besides, I'm sure he'll get a laugh out of the Snape situation."

Harry nodded and got a fresh piece of parchment, then he and Ron composed a letter to Sirius:

_Dear Sirius:_

_Good news! You won't have to be living on rats for a while now. There's a wedding at our school tomorrow at 3 pm, and they're going to have a ton of refreshments—that's the only reason Ron is going. But you'll never believe who's getting married—Snape! The bride is Professor Lucy Marsh, our new History of Magic teacher. She used to be a good teacher, but she got real boring after Snape did whatever he did to her._

_We think he slipped her a Love Potion, but that's only because he's the Potions Master. Ron thinks he's got her under the Imperius Curse; do you think he would do that? Hermione said that if he really loved her, he wouldn't do that, but I don't know. Dumbledore seems to think Professor Marsh's love is real, though, since he was the one who set up their wedding in the first place. Pretty much none of the students believe this, because you don't go from being disgusted by someone one day to being obsessed with them the next—and she is OBSESSED. It's pretty scary. She even bumps into stuff when she talks about him, and she gets mad and cries a lot. Snape must be constantly feeding her Love Potions, because it doesn't seem to be wearing off—she's been in "love" with him since the start of Christmas Break. Snape is always giving points to Ravenclaw, too, because that's her alma mater._

_I know you'd probably think it was hilarious to watch Snape louse his wedding up, which he probably will, but it's safer for you to stay hidden. We'll bring the wedding food for you after school on Tuesday._

_Sincerely, Harry_

After he finished writing his letter, Harry summoned Hedwig. The snowy white owl took the letter to deliver to Sirius; Harry and Ron got into bed. They weren't looking forward to watching Snape kiss Lucy at the altar, but some cake did sound quite good.


	15. Wedding Ceremony

Sunday had dawned happy and lovey-dovey for both Lucy and Snape. But it only remained that way for Lucy. Snape became increasingly anxious, and he wanted to make a Calming Drought, but he knew that too much of those things wouldn't be good for him…no…

Snape never made it to bed that night. The wedding was at 3 pm tomorrow, so he didn't have to go to bed right away…but he was just too nervous to be sleepy. So he tried to work on a lesson plan instead, because after all, term started again on Tuesday. Snape didn't get very far, though, and mostly he just stared into space as the sun rose into the sky. When he glanced at his watch, he saw that it was six in the morning.

There were still papers all over his desk that needed grading. The lesson plan he'd started last night had been largely abandoned. Even though his desk was usually neat, it was very messy now. Just then, Snape realized how tired he actually was.

 _Just one hour or so of a nap_ , Snape told himself. Then he'd wake up and do his work, then get ready for the wedding…

 

* * *

 

 

"SEVERUS!"

"Whuh?" Snape groggily lifted his greasy head off his desk.

"What are you doing, napping?!" Dumbledore was heard saying. Snape looked up at the Headmaster through foggy eyes. There was a huge smile on his lips that spread to his eyes. "You can't be sleeping in here if you're going to be married in thirty minutes!"

"WHAT?!" Snape hollered, darting up and gaping at his watch. "B-But I'm not ready!"

"Lucy loves you just as you are," said Dumbledore, grabbing Snape's hand. "Come on, Severus!"

Snape groaned, but he allowed Dumbledore to pull him out of his dungeon, up into the Great Hall. Most of the students were already there. Very few had bothered to dress up; they were mostly just dressed in their school uniforms. There were no more House Tables; instead, there were lots of plastic chairs lined up where the guests would be sitting. They had also hired a seventh-year student to play an organ. None of the students looked happy about sitting on these pieces of plastic for upwards of an hour, but what choice did they have? Oh well, at least the cake looked good…

The students murmured in distaste as they noticed Snape being pulled by Dumbledore. Snape caught things like, "Wow, he didn't even bother to wash his hair for his own wedding", which he didn't think was very nice. Dumbledore took his place as the officiator, and Snape stood by one side of the altar, feeling nauseous. Professor Flitwick was standing next to him, propped up on a pile of textbooks. Evvy was on the other side; she was wearing an enormous, frilly pink dress, and her golden-blonde hair was styled in an elaborate updo, with roses scattered beautifully throughout. She was holding Lucy's bouquet, and to Snape, she seemed about to explode with excitement. The grin on her face seemed to spread from ear to ear and her dimples were showing on her rosy-red cheeks. Snape just hoped she wouldn't talk to him, or even come near him—probably the worst part about being married to Lucy would be having Evvy for a sister-in-law. Snape turned his head away and waited for Lucy.

Before Snape knew it, Dumbledore snapped his fingers; the seventh-year organ player sighed; and Lucy, escorted by her father, proceeded down the aisle.

Lucy's shoulder-length blonde hair was styled into little ringlets that tumbled flawlessly down her face. In her hair she wore a silver tiara; she also had on long white gloves. The gown was sleeveless, with a halter top, and it was the kind of dress Lucy liked to wear—form fitting, floor-length, accentuating her shapeliness in all the right places.

"Oh, isn't she _beautiful?_ " Evvy squealed in delight.

"Very," Snape said back, and he meant it.

Lucy's father had tears in his eyes as his hand left hers; he lifted up the veil and kissed her on the forehead, and went to sit down. Just like his wife, he looked a bit shocked; Lucy and Evvy were Muggle-borns, like Hermione and Lily Evans. Of course, Dumbledore had allowed their Muggle parents to come to the wedding at Hogwarts regardless, as long as they kept it a secret from the other Muggles. Evvy handed the bouquet to her older sister and gave her a tight, giggly, tearful hug.

"It is time for the vows," Dumbledore said, ostensibly seriously, but his eyes were twinkling. "Professor Severus Tobias Snape, do you take Lucille Margaret Marsh to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, for happily ever after?"

"I do."

"Professor Lucille Margaret Marsh," Dumbledore continued, turning to Lucy, who was clutching her little bouquet and beaming at Snape, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Do you take Professor Severus Tobias Snape to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, for happily ever after?"

"I do."

"Then…I now pronounce you man and wife!" Dumbledore cried happily. "You may kiss the bride!"


	16. Can't Help Falling In Love

"This is disgusting," whispered Ron as he and the others watched Dumbledore officiating. "Can teachers really be human, do you think?"

"Shh!" said Hermione. "Do you want to get in trouble?"

"No, I want to get up," Harry replied. "These plastic chairs are just murder on a person's butt."

"At least you don't have to wear a uniform skirt!" Ginny exclaimed. "The way your thighs stick to the seat after a while…"

Hermione nodded in agreement, while Harry and Ron looked embarrassed. But the four of them still snapped to attention when they heard Dumbledore say the, erm, "magic words".

"You may kiss the bride!"

Snape and Lucy were moving their lips ever closer. Those words certainly were magical. They would seal the Romance Charm, Snape knew, make Lucy in love with him forever, in life, in death, in loss, in love, there was no going back now—

Next thing you know Snape had been hit hard in the back and was lying on the floor; Evvy let out a high-pitched shriek; everything had suddenly gone blurry and Snape could hear growling above him. The crowd gasped. What Snape didn't see, they did.

Lucy was still standing by the altar, mouth open in shock and confusion, her blue eyes wide open; Evvy was breathing hard, staring, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. Snape was lying backwards on the floor, and on top of him, holding him down with two front paws, was a huge, bearlike black dog.

They heard the loudest screech of all come from the back of the Great Hall.

"IT'S THE GRIM!" Professor Trelawney screeched at the top of her lungs. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

It was complete pandemonium after that—the students were pushing to get out of the Great Hall and away from the deadly Grim, but it didn't work when they were all trying to get away at once. Professor Trelawney was having a panic attack. They were lucky when Dumbledore somehow finally took control.

"Order, order please!" he shouted. "Heads of House, please escort your respective students out of the Great Hall in a neat, single-file line—except for you, Professor Snape. I want you to follow me."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't following Professor McGonagall, of course. They ran over to the dog.

"Snuffles!" Harry hissed. "Is that you?!"

The hall was devoid of students and teachers now, so the dog felt safe to turn into a man—recognizable as Sirius Black, thin from living on rats in a cave, hair long, unshaven, rather sickly-looking. But he didn't answer his godson, who in fact was shocked at him. Sirius looked just like the dangerous murderer everyone thought he was. Without looking at the three Gryffindors, he grabbed Lucy's arm and practically dragged her towards Snape and Dumbledore, who were leaving the Great Hall into a side corridor. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a horrified-looking Evvy followed.

Sirius was walking fast, so the others had to almost run to keep up with his strides. It wasn't long before they caught up with Snape and Dumbledore, and everyone was soon standing out in the corridor. As soon as they stopped walking, Sirius let go of Lucy. She was looking frightened beyond belief.

"W-What's going on?" she whispered, her eyes threatening to fill with tears. "Where am I? Why am I wearing this dress? Somebody tell me!"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY LUCY?!" Sirius barked, grabbing Snape's shoulders. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER?!"

"NOTHING!" Snape yelled, matching his tone.

"Snape gave her a Love Potion!" Ron told everyone gleefully.

"I DID NOT!" Snape hollered. "FIFTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!"

"Lucy, tell me…" said Dumbledore slowly. "Do you remember asking Severus to marry you?"

"N-No!" she gasped. "I never did that! Last thing I remember I was in my office…now I'm here…"

"Mr. Weasley, Professor Marsh was not under the influence of a Love Potion," Dumbledore concluded. "Rather, I now believe she has been under the influence of a Romance Charm. Severus, I—"

Dumbledore didn't get to finish his sentence, because he was cut off by Snape's screams. Sirius had transformed again.

"GET OFF ME!" Snape was trying to push the oversized dog back, but it looked like Sirius was attempting to maul him.

"Sirius, control yourself!" Dumbledore said sharply. "Turn back into a human at once!"

The dog took one more swipe at the front of Snape's robes with his claws, then resumed his human form. Snape stood up too; he had an awful gash in his forehead and was stemming the blood flow with a piece of cloth. It turned out to be the sleeve of his robe, which Sirius's canine jaws had torn off. There was a cut on his arm, too.

"I just knocked you over in the Great Hall!" Sirius snarled. "But I'll gladly bite your leg off next time!"

"Doesn't matter!" Snape hissed, pointing his wand at Sirius's chest. "Lucy's mine now, Black, now that we've married."

"Don't try and fool me!" Sirius shouted, forcing his arm down. "I know how the Romance Charm works! You two didn't kiss yet! She doesn't remember a thing—she's been freed! _I'm_ her true love!"

"Why would anyone love a dangerous murderer, especially Lucy?" Snape scoffed.

"Sirius isn't a murderer," Lucy finally spoke up, although her voice was shaking. "Don't think I don't know the true story. The Potters switched Secret-Keepers at the last minute; Sirius and the Potter family told me."

"It's true," said Harry. "Sirius has been framed. It was Peter Pettigrew who committed all that murder, not him. Snape, you know it, you were there that night last year."

"Sirius, as soon as I found out you were in Azkaban, I went to Barty Crouch Sr. and I pleaded your case," Lucy explained hurriedly, referring to the man who had been Head of Magical Law Enforcement at the time. "But he wouldn't listen to me! I couldn't convince him to try you—he thought I was biased—he even accused _me_ of being a Death Eater—"

"I know," Sirius soothed, holding the shaking young woman in his arms. "There was nothing anybody could have done."

Then it hit Snape— _that_ was what she had been talking about that day in her office. _That_ was the horrible thing she had tried to prevent, but couldn't. She had been talking about Sirius. Foul play? Of course. That was _exactly_ how one of Sirius's girls would see it…

"I'm sorry, babe," she whispered. "I became an Auror later to make sure nothing like that ever happened again. Once you escaped last year, I convinced Amelia Bones to make me the one in charge of the hunt for you—I told you I knew you the best, as your former girlfriend. I wanted to prove you innocent."

"So what are you doing at Hogwarts, then?" Sirius asked.

"Once I heard there was an opening at the school, I figured I'd give it a try," said Lucy. "I thought I'd keep an eye on your godson for you. I had no idea you were so nearby."

"Well, we have Harry to thank." Sirius gestured to the shocked-looking Boy-Who-Lived, standing with his two friends in the back of the corridor as all three watched the scene unfold. "After all, he's the one who tipped me off about this. As soon as I got his owl, I rushed to the school. Looks like I was just in time."

"Or I would have been trapped forever by Snape's Romance Charm," said Lucy.

"By the way, darling…" Sirius reached out and touched Lucy's short, blonde hair. "What have you done with your hair? You know I always loved it."

"I thought waist-length, dyed-blue hair was a bit unbecoming of an Auror, and besides, it reminded me too much of you." Lucy still had tears in her eyes as she stared up at Sirius, but she was finally smiling. "What have you done with _your_ hair?"

"Let's just say that when you go into hiding, you don't always have access to good hair care products," Sirius told her, now smiling as well.

"It's been too long," Lucy whispered.

"Far too long," Sirius whispered back, he closed his eyes, she closed hers and stood up taller, Snape shouted, "LUCY, NO!" but it was too late…

"Oh, _Lucy!"_ Evvy cried, and she burst into tears as she saw her sister kissing Sirius, right there in the corridor, just like the long-lost lovers they were. Finally, they separated, Sirius still holding Lucy tight.

"It's a miracle to have finally found you, Lucy," Sirius told her. "Finally, the two of us, reunited!"

"You're right, Sirius," Lucy agreed. "It _is_ a miracle."

"I'm afraid it's not quite so," Dumbledore told them. "You see…the only way you two can ever be together is if Sirius is proven innocent."

Something seemed to shatter behind Sirius's gray eyes. The smile faded from Lucy's face.

"That's right!" Snape sounded triumphant. "How do you feel _now_ , Black?!"

"Please, Professor Marsh," Hermione said quietly, like she didn't want to interrupt the scene, but couldn't help herself. "Barty Crouch Sr. isn't Head of Magical Law Enforcement anymore. Things are different now. Isn't there _any_ way they can try Sirius? If there's one thing I know about law, it's that everything has a loophole—"

"And you were an Auror, so wouldn't you know all about that stuff?" Harry added.

"Well, there is one way, but it's a long shot," Lucy said reluctantly, sniffing and separating herself from Sirius's arms.

"What is it?" Sirius looked shocked.

"Well, after Barty-Crouch-Jr.-Gate happened and Senior lost all his popularity, Amelia Bones became the new Head of Magical Law Enforcement," Lucy began. "Amelia Bones is fair. She gives everyone a chance, and she didn't approve of his methods. So she decided to set up the Wrongful Imprisonment Office."

"What's the Wrongful Imprisonment Office?" said Ron.

"It's a subdivision of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Lucy explained. "They handle appeals and things like that. If we can convince the wizard who's in charge to take a look at Sirius's case, we might be able to get him tried."

"I don't think it matters, though," said Sirius darkly. "We won't be able to prove jack without Pettigrew here."

"You sure, Sirius?" said Harry. "I can testify for you. So can the others."

"I'll definitely testify!" Lucy told him. "Amelia Bones knows I'm not a Death Eater, not after all my years of being an Auror, and nobody will ever believe you've Confunded me—as an Auror, I've learned to resist such things. Dumbledore, will you testify?"

"I suppose I can't get in the way of true love," Dumbledore said. "But I will also need you to testify for him, Severus."

"Me?" Snape yelled. "No way!"

"You were in the Shrieking Shack that night too, Severus," Dumbledore said sharply. "Besides, you have personal knowledge in this area, if you know what I mean."

"It doesn't matter!" Snape crossed his arms. "There is no way I'm going to testify for Black just so he can be with Lucy Marsh—who he just stole right from under my nose!"

"She was never yours in the first place!" Harry cut in. "You—you _cursed_ her—or whatever you did—"

"THIS DOES NOT CONCERN YOU, POTTER!" Snape yelled.

"Professor Snape!" Hermione cried. Tears were shining in her eyes, too. "I know you don't like Sirius, but if you really loved Professor Marsh, you would testify—because that would make her happy—and that's what love is about!"

Ron was watching Hermione like she was made of gold.

"You're out of your mind, Miss Granger!" Snape told her angrily, then turned to Sirius and Lucy. "You two can forget it! I'm not testifying at your stupid trial! So much for true love!"

"Fine," Sirius said quietly, his voice low.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione, watching from the back of the corridor, expected Sirius to get angry, but he didn't; he just held Lucy close again, like she was all he had in the world.

"It still smells like coconuts," he said softly, one tear slowly making tracks down his face, clearing a clean path through the dirt.

"I-I never could help falling in love with you," she whispered. Tears were streaming down her face, too, but she did not sob.

Something about her words seemed to trigger something inside Sirius; he held her tight and told her, "Looks like I will have to go…but if the dementors get me and they try to suck out my soul, they'll never get it all."

"W-Why not?" Lucy sniffed.

"Because part of my soul will always be with you," he whispered. "I love you, Lucy."

"I love you too," she assured him, and they finally had to break the hug. Their hands were the last to part. Sirius transformed back into a dog and padded slowly down the corridor, tail between his legs, head low. Lucy turned away, her face in her hands.

"Lucy?" Snape said tentatively.

"J-Just…just don't." Lucy's voice broke. "I-I never want to see you again, Severus."

Snape stared at Sirius, still walking down the hall; Lucy, sobbing, still in her beautiful white wedding gown; Evvy, who was also crying; Dumbledore, who looked extremely disapproving; and Harry and his friends, who looked as if they expected as much.

Finally, the Potions Master took a deep breath, closed his eyes tight, opened them again, and said, "Wait."


	17. Fairy Godmother

"W-What?" Lucy sobbed.

"I said—wait!"

This time it was Sirius who stopped, transformed, and said, "What?!"

"Sirius Black, I hate you with every fiber of my being," Snape began darkly, but then he turned to Lucy, who was disbelievingly peeking out from between her perfectly manicured bride-fingers. "But as much as I hate to say it…Miss Granger is always right…I love you and I want you to be happy…so I'll testify at the damn trial if you can push it through."

"Oh, thank you, Severus!" Lucy cried, reaching out and embracing him. "I'm sorry for telling you I never wanted to see you again! We can still be friends, I promise!"

"Great," Snape grunted.

Once she had let go, Sirius walked up to Snape, held out his hand, and muttered, "I owe you one."

"Don't touch me!" Snape snapped. "I did this for Lucy, not you! I prefer to keep our relationship of complete and utter loathing as it is."

"Fine," Sirius said again, then turned to Lucy. "Let's hope this Wrongful Imprisonment thing works, sweetheart."

"Oh, Sirius!" she cried, they kissed again, and Evvy grabbed them both, squeezing them tight.

"Very well; I will arrange a meeting with Amelia Bones later this week," said Dumbledore. "In the meantime…Severus, I would like to see you in my office, alone."

"Don't yell at him yet, please, Headmaster!" Evvy was grinning. "You know he's just a man very much in love. You go explain the situation to the students first, all right? Including the fact that Sirius is innocent? Then have them come back into the Great Hall. Ten minutes should do it—thank you, Professor."

"If you insist, Miss Marsh." Dumbledore looked curious, but he left. Snape turned to follow Dumbledore, but Evvy pulled him back.

"Oh no you don't," she giggled. "I need to do it to you first—I mean, just look at you."

"Do what to me?" Snape felt a bit apprehensive. Surely Evvy was angry because of what he did to her sister? But why did she look so giggly and eager? Was that her default setting or something? Of course it was…

"Hold still," Evvy told him, pulling out her wand.

"Don't point that thing at me!" Snape yelled, but it was too late—with a flash of red light, Snape's appearance had changed drastically. No longer was he wearing his torn old black robes; now he was wearing fine robes of black silk. With some thought, Evvy added silver lining, then told Snape he needed to wash his hair; with another zap of her wand, his hair no longer held its signature grease.

Lucy was now grinning too. She seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on. Everyone else was simply gaping.

"You next," said Evvy, pointing her wand at Sirius. After she zapped him, his hair was clean and cut so that it was now shoulder-length, an inch or two longer than Lucy's; another zap and he seemed to have been showered, and he was wearing brilliant scarlet-and-gold dress robes. Next, Evvy walked over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What's your favorite color, dear?" she asked Hermione.

"Um, violet," Hermione told her.

 _ZAP!_ Instead of her school uniform, Hermione was now wearing a dazzling violet ball gown, complete with silver jewelry and a violet manicure. Evvy zapped her again, and her brown hair was suddenly just as sleek and shining as it had been at the Yule Ball, only this time it was woven into a braided crown and topped with a silver tiara. Ron was practically drooling.

"I believe you two are dating?" Evvy said to him kindly.

"Y-Yes," Ron blurted out.

 _ZAP!_ Ron was wearing a remarkable three piece-suit with a tie in the exact shade of violet as Hermione's dress.

"Ginny's favorite color is green," Harry said quickly.

"Now isn't that nice," Evvy told him. "I'll give you a shade that goes with your eyes…Of course, I'll give Miss Weasley a beautiful dress too. I have the perfect dress in mind already."

 _ZAP!_ Harry suddenly looked just as sharp as Ron, only his tie was emerald-green.

"And now for the final touch…" Evvy spun around (how she did that in three-inch, bright-pink high heels, she alone knew) and zapped her older sister; suddenly Lucy's face was dry, her makeup was fixed, and—most notably—her hair was now waist-length and a familiar shade of blue.

"Evvy, what have you _done?!"_ Sirius gasped, staring down at his gorgeous red-and-gold dress robes—which, from Madame Malkin's, would have easily set him back some four hundred Galleons—and running his hands through his clean hair.

"I call it my Fairy Godmother Spell," Evvy said triumphantly, pocketing her wand and adjusting one of the roses arranged in her golden-blonde hair. "Especially since, unfortunately, the spell does wear off in about five hours. But that gives us until about ten, so…who wants to give the Hogwarts student body the reception party they were promised?"

"Oh, Evvy, you're the best sister ever!" Lucy cried, embracing her.

"No, you are," Evvy whispered. "Now let's go."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione led the way, Hermione tugging Ron's hand. Evvy noticed Snape hanging back.

"Aren't you coming, Severus?" she asked.

"Why should I?" he grumbled. "I've been friendzoned again."

"Severus, that was an awfully decent thing you did back there," Evvy told him. "Even if my sister isn't the right match for you, someday you'll find a woman who is—someday you'll find someone who can see the goodness in you, even if that day is not today. For today…you can be _my_ dance partner and you are going to have fun because Merlin knows you need it."

"Fuck it, let's go," Snape mumbled. Evvy laughed her girly little laugh, grabbed his hand, and led him out into the Great Hall, where Dumbledore was standing with the students already.

"First I need to give Ginny her dress and hairdo, though," Evvy reminded Snape, and walked off, her pink high heels clicking on the floor.

"Make sure you warn her what you're going to do to her first," Snape muttered. "Most people don't like having wands pointed at them, you know."


	18. Wedding Reception

Couples were seeking each other out everywhere. Sirius and Lucy were one of those couples; Ron and Hermione were another. By the time Harry found Ginny, Evvy had already had her way with her, and Harry was pleasantly surprised.

"Harry!" Ginny was smiling. "Look at this dress Evvy gave me to dance with you in! She gave me my favorite color and—look, it's the same color as your tie!"

Ginny's ball gown was emerald-green. The sleeves were slightly puffy, but in an endearing way. It was slim-fitting in the waist with a wider skirt that reached her knees, good for an "hourglass-figure" look. Her hair was styled into a French twist, with a silver tiara like Hermione's. She had sterling-silver earrings and a sterling-silver necklace with a ruby pendant, as well as white gloves and white strappy wedge shoes.

"She gave me white high heels at first," Ginny told him. "But I explained I can't really walk in high heels, much less dance, so she gave me these great wedges instead."

Harry had no idea what wedge shoes were, but he did know that Ginny looked great, so he grabbed her hand and led her out to dance.

Sirius and Lucy, meanwhile, were holding each other close. Lucy asked when they were going to start the music.

"How about right now?" Sirius winked and pointed his wand at the record player sitting by the altar, and it began to spin.

"Oh, Sirius!" Lucy said again. "It's the first song we ever danced to!"

"Right," said Sirius. "It's 'Can't Help Falling in Love'."

"Remember on our anniversary when the needle got stuck, and the record kept playing over and over?" Lucy asked, grinning.

"Oh, I remember," Sirius replied, holding her even closer.

"You did that on purpose," Lucy whispered. "I _know_ you did."

"All right, I confess," said Sirius. "But you must admit it was romantic."

"Very romantic." Lucy closed her eyes and leaned her head on Sirius's chest.

Ron and Hermione were dancing too; Ron was trying not to tread on Hermione's feet like he had at the Yule Ball. Harry was a little better at not stepping on Ginny's feet as they swept across the floor, but neither of the boys could believe how beautiful their dates were. Most of the students were still in their school uniforms, but they seemed to be enjoying the song, even if it was a lot older than they were.

Snape was having a hard time dancing with Evvy—not so much because he didn't really care for her, but mostly because he wasn't exactly experienced in dancing. She was basically forcing him through the steps—although she didn't seem to mind.

"I don't know about what you said, Evvy," Snape said quietly. "I think I'm going to die alone."

"You are _not_ ," Evvy insisted. "I know these things, Severus. Just like the song says. Some things were meant to be. You'll find someone who loves you. Trust me."

"Come to think of it, I sort of remember Lucy now," Snape said, glancing sideways at Sirius and Lucy; her arms were around his neck, and her head was leaning on his chest; his head was on top of hers, and his hands were on her hips. "I recognize her from Prom 1974, now she's got that hair back—even though I didn't know her by name…Black wasn't so decent with his hands back then, was he?"

"They got to second base in a closet by the end of 'Unchained Melody'," said Evvy.

"And just why did I need to know that?" Snape demanded, although he wasn't surprised.

"I was just agreeing with you," Evvy said conversationally. "They both like to take it rather…fast in relationships, you see."

"Right," Snape mumbled.

"Stop looking at them, it will only hurt you." This wasn't an order so much as it was a gentle suggestion, and Snape decided to heed Evvy's words.

After that they didn't talk much. Snape let Evvy lean her head on his chest, the same way Lucy was to Sirius. Snape didn't quite remember who Evvy had been dancing with at prom, because he had been dancing with Lily...and no matter how many women he met, including Lucy, would _Lily_ ever leave his heart? No wonder he had such a depressing outlook on life…

It wasn't long before "Can't Help Falling In Love" was over—after all, the song was only about three minutes long, although it felt a lot shorter to most of the couples. After that a much more modern, fast song started playing. The couples detached, and everyone crowded into one big pack. Snape showed signs of wanting to sit down, but Evvy wouldn't let him.

During the next song, which was also a fast song, Sirius and Harry sat down at a refreshments table to grab some punch and catch up.

"I have to thank you for sending that letter, Harry," Sirius said casually as he filled a cup with punch. "You just about saved her, you know that?"

"I did?"

"Of course," said Sirius. "When someone is a victim of the Romance Charm, they aren't themselves. They turn into someone else entirely."

"I know it," Harry told him. "She used to teach great History of Magic classes. But when Snape had her under that spell, all she did was make us read our textbook so she could stare out the window and fantasize about Snape. One time we tried to warn her not to eat or drink anything Snape gives her—you know, because we thought he was slipping her Love Potions—and she accused us of trying to split them up."

"If you ask me, the Romance Charm should be outlawed." Sirius pursed his lips and sighed. "It's not just manipulative, it's dangerous. I'm sure Dumbledore will ban it at the school—although that spell does take a talented wizard to perform, so it's not like many students would be successful if they tried it, but still…"

"I think people didn't know about the Romance Charm," said Harry. "Everyone thought Snape was giving her Love Potions. What else would the Potions Master do?"

"That's probably why he didn't do it," said Sirius grimly. "That, and it would be impractical. Love Potions wear off quite quickly. But there are only three ways for the Romance Charm to be broken—he'd have to either lift it, die, or Lucy would have to see her true love's face. I wasn't sure if she loved me after all these years, or even if she remembered me. But I did know that if she kissed Snape at the altar, that would make the spell unbreakable, even if Snape himself tried to lift it. Even if seeing my face didn't break the spell, I couldn't let her be trapped forever, and from what you said, she wasn't in love with Snape for real. Again, if you hadn't tipped me off, the results would have been tragic."

"No problem," said Harry, picturing Sirius's shocked face as he read through the letter, thinking of how his gray eyes must have widened when he read his old girlfriend's name. "I sure hope we can get your name cleared, though, so you two can be together."

"My presence hasn't seemed to alarm any of your fellow students," Sirius observed. "I think most of the student body is going to take Dumbledore's word at face value. They don't care as long as I'm not after them or the people they love. It's the Ministry we have to be concerned about."

"You look a lot better, too," Harry told him. "Evvy's Fairy Godmother Spell was amazing. Did you see the dress she gave Ginny?"

"I agree she had the perfect dress in mind." Sirius smiled.

Harry grabbed a piece of treacle tart from a tray on the table, then took a big gulp of punch. "But I have a question."

"Hmm?"

"My friends and I asked Professor Marsh if she remembered my parents from when she went to school with them," said Harry, "and she said she was friends with my mom, but she called my dad a bully. And she didn't mention you at all. Wouldn't she have said something?"

"Not if she was under the Romance Charm." Sirius shook his head and downed his punch. "Lucy was friends with your mother, yes. She was neither here nor there with James, but I imagine someone who loves Snape wouldn't be a very big fan of your father's—they didn't get along very well, you see. And she didn't mention me because the Romance Charm forbids the victim from remembering past or present lovers. She wouldn't remember _anyone_ she'd ever truly loved."

"So if you had come into the room _after_ she'd kissed Snape…" Harry munched on his treacle tart loudly. "She wouldn't have recognized you? Because seeing her true love's face can't break the spell—and she can't remember you—"

"Right," said Sirius darkly. "I might forgive Snape for what he did to her, but only because the spell didn't last. Well, that, and he managed to bring himself to help with the trial."

"I had no idea you and Professor Marsh were together, though," said Harry.

"I'm sure she'd prefer for you to call her Lucy, Harry," Sirius told him. "But yes…we met at the end of my third year when she asked me to prom. She was a fifth year then. We dated until she graduated in 1976, then for a couple years after that we dated other people…I honestly thought I'd never see her again."

"So you forgot about her?" Harry asked.

"You don't often forget the girl who takes your virginity," Sirius told him, grinning slightly. "But before long it was 1976, she was a graduating seventh year, I was only a fifth year taking my O.W.L.s, and we didn't think it was so practical to try and stay together, so we decided to just see other people, and we did…I was with a lot of girls after Lucy. But like I said, that doesn't mean I _forgot_ her."

"But you said you met her again—"

"I was eighteen and I'd been out of school for about a year," said Sirius. "I stopped in the Hog's Head Inn for a drink and I recognized that blue hair instantly. I bought her a drink, asked her to dinner that Saturday evening, and soon enough, it was as if we'd never even broken up in the first place. I used to take her for rides on that motorcycle of mine."

"What about when you went to Azkaban?" said Harry quietly.

"That was in 1981…so we would've been going on three years." Sirius wasn't smiling so much when Azkaban was mentioned. "But we were separated. You heard what she said about all that. When I escaped, I will say my priorities were finding you and Peter, not her. But when I read your letter, I recognized the symptoms of the Romance Charm immediately. I knew that if I didn't stop the wedding in time, my Lucy would have been gone forever. I'd lost her twice—I wasn't going to lose her again."

Harry noticed how Sirius stared across the room towards Lucy in that bridal gown that accentuated all her curves, with the long blue hair she'd apparently sported in the seventies and early eighties. There was an unmistakable look of love in his eyes.

"When you were in school with her…did you think it would last forever?" Harry asked.

Sirius suddenly looked crestfallen. After all, he may have gotten Lucy back, but there was a lot he was never going to get back—the Potters, his happy years as a Marauder, all the years he'd missed out on with his godson—and Harry wished he hadn't said anything, especially when Sirius didn't answer.

"Sorry," mumbled Harry.

"It's all right," said Sirius quietly. "The answer is, I don't know. All I do know is, those were some of the happiest years of my life. My years with your parents, my years with Lucy, my one year with you. We weren't natural caregivers, you know, James and me. We'd be looking after you when Lily was out, and you could be a handful. It was a right pain in the neck trying to get you down for your nap. James would play music on that record player he had, and I tried to tell him you didn't _like_ the Rolling Stones, and that's why you wouldn't sleep, and he asked me just how I knew…"

Harry realized that Sirius had probably volunteered to babysit him a bunch of times when he was a baby, even if he was a handful, and the thought made him smile a bit.

"I used to call you Prongslet," Sirius told him, and the nickname made him grin again.

"Prongslet." Harry found himself trying to stifle his laughter. " _Really._ "

"It was cute when you were a baby, but I suppose you're a bit old for that now," Sirius continued.

"Probably," said Harry, although he was secretly a little glad that Sirius had given him a nickname so much like his father's. They were silent for a bit; then they heard the last few chords of the song.

"Well, that's the song ending," Sirius said. "I'm sure Lucy will be along any minute now, it's a slow one…"

"When did you say you met her again?" Harry asked.

"The end of my third year, her fifth," Sirius replied. "Prom 1974. Lots of girls asked me to go, to be honest, but she was the one I said yes to, and we just… _clicked_ that night. Like magic."

"But when did you two…?" Harry changed his mind and shoved another treacle tart into his mouth instead, cheeks feeling hot. For a moment, he had wanted to ask Sirius a bunch of questions about what he'd said earlier—the part about Lucy taking his virginity before they had broken up. Certainly, anything he would have discussed with his father he could bring up to Sirius as well, and Sirius was no doubt qualified, but still, it was much easier to sit there cramming food into his mouth than it was to bring up such an awkward topic, no matter how curious he may have been.

"What was that?" said Sirius, but he was distracted when, just as he'd predicted, Lucy showed up at the table.

"Hello, Harry." Lucy smiled at Harry before turning to Sirius. "Aren't we going to dance now?"

"Where are my manners?" Sirius stood up and held out his hand to Lucy. "May I have this dance?"

"Oh yes, you may," she told him, smiling and leading him by the hand. Sirius waved goodbye to Harry, who sought out Ginny.

* * *

 

The dance was supposed to go until ten, because that was when the effects of Evvy's Fairy Godmother Spell would wear off, including what she had done to the Great Hall—her spell had turned it into a grand ballroom with plenty of refreshments tables and beautiful decorations everywhere.

Students started leaving around nine or nine-thirty. Eventually, at ten, only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Sirius, Snape, Dumbledore, Lucy and Evvy remained. Harry and his friends were in their school uniforms; Sirius looked like an escaped ex-convict who had been living on rats; Snape looked like a greasy-haired man who had been attacked by a dog; Lucy's hair was short and blonde. But for an enjoyable five hours, before the Fairy Godmother Spell had worn off, they had all been great-looking.

"Harry, you and your friends get to bed," Dumbledore instructed. "Sirius, I suppose you can share Lucy's teacher's quarters, if you don't mind…Evvy, are you heading back to London tonight?"

"No, I'm probably going to stay here for a few more days," Evvy said happily. "I can't miss out on all this sisterly bonding. Professor Sprout won't mind, I'm sure."

Professor Sprout had been Head of Evvy's House, and had thus allowed her to share a dorm with some seventh-year Hufflepuff girls. Evvy had enjoyed visiting the Hufflepuff basement common room very much and reflecting on her own experiences at Hogwarts, and as for her roommates, it had been a bit strange for the teen girls to share their dorm with a thirty-four-year-old grown woman at first, but Evvy, true Hufflepuff as she was, had a knack for making friends with almost anyone, and like any older person, she had a lot of advice about life to share. Certainly, the girls would be learning the Fairy Godmother Spell at some point.

"Very well," said Dumbledore, then turned to Snape. "Severus, we can postpone it no longer…Meet me in my office, please."


	19. Aftermath

The more he thought about it, the more Snape knew that Dumbledore was right—they couldn't put off the lecture forever. But he was still worrying as he followed the Headmaster down the corridor to his office. Was he going to get yelled at? Was he going to get fired? What was going to happen?

Dumbledore sat down behind his desk, and Snape sat in the spare chair. Neither of them said anything, until finally Snape realized Dumbledore was waiting for him to speak first.

"I-I can understand if you're angry, Headmaster," Snape mumbled, staring at his lap.

"Well, Severus, I must admit I am a bit disappointed." Dumbledore's expression was unreadable. "You lied to me about Lucy, you know."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Romance Charms will most certainly be banned at Hogwarts from now on," Dumbledore continued. "I didn't ban them earlier because I figured such an advanced-level spell wouldn't need to be banned. I now see that I was mistaken—although I must compliment you on a spell well done."

Snape could only repeat his apology: "I'm sorry."

"I'm very well aware of the effects of the Romance Charm once the caster and the victim have married," said Dumbledore. "Would you really have been happy, Severus? You wouldn't have had a wife. You would have had a prisoner. Lucy may not be obsessed with you anymore, but at least she's herself again. You knew, didn't you, that manipulating someone like that is not just? And although now you are experiencing raw, unimaginable pain, a part of you is glad that this is all over?"

Snape nodded numbly. "I considered lifting the spell…but I just couldn't."

"You should probably get to bed, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly, standing up. "You have classes to teach in the morning."

* * *

Harry and Ron met Hermione and Ginny early in the common room that morning, so they'd have some time to hang out before they had to get to class. They were sitting in the chairs by the crackling fire when—to their surprise—in walked Sirius, with Lucy in tow.

Sirius's hair, cut so that it fell a little bit past his shoulders, was still wet from being washed. Now he was wearing dark-green wizard's robes, and he smelled of aftershave. In his hand was a cup of coffee—everyone thought he took his coffee black, if they got the joke, but the truth was, he always liked a lot of cream and sugar.

"It feels so good to get clean after living in a cave like a heathen for so long, you know that?" Sirius commented. "Lucy has the most relaxing Jacuzzi in her bathroom."

"That's not fair," said Ron, pouting. "All we get are those piece-of-crap shower stall things. How come the teachers get to have Jacuzzis?"

"Actually, the prefects' bathrooms are quite nice," said Sirius. "Remus was a prefect, and we got the password out of him. It's a great place to take a bubble bath. You also get a bath set at a discounted price from the school bookstore. And if you happen to be a fourth year or older, the bath set includes sexy lingerie."

"I was thinking of buying some, now I know you're here, Sirius," Lucy said jokingly. Today she was wearing robes in a gentle shade of lilac.

"And what could be hotter than some Ravenclaw House Pride lingerie?" Sirius said as she climbed into his lap.

"I know," said Ron. "Gryffindor House Pride lingerie."

"Not even in your dreams," said Hermione, and Ginny laughed.

"You know, this place isn't as scenic as the Ravenclaw common room," Lucy observed, "but it's still quite nice."

"Have you visited with your alma mater any?" Sirius asked.

"Of course," Lucy told him. "I love going back to Ravenclaw Tower and talking with the students. Of course, I suppose I didn't do much of anything when I was under the Romance Charm…"

"Everyone knows the story now, though, Prof—I mean, um, Lucy," said Harry. "It's not like they actually thought you loved Snape. Everybody thought he was giving you a Love Potion."

"That's a relief." Lucy sighed. "I'm a little embarrassed, to be honest. I'm glad I don't remember any of it."

"By the way, Lucy dear, has Dumbledore made plans for that meeting with Amelia Bones, do you know?" Sirius asked.

"I heard he owled her this morning." Lucy shrugged. "So I guess he should be getting a response in a couple of days. I'm sure everything will be fine. They're just lucky we didn't threaten to sue, y'know? We could have settled out of court and gotten a big bag of gold…used it to take a trip to the Bahamas…"

"Well, if it does all work out, I did have something to mention to you, Harry," said Sirius.

"What?" Harry asked.

"If everything goes through all right, my offer from last year still stands," Sirius told him. "We can file papers so that I become your legal guardian, and you'll never have to go back to the Muggles again. You're almost fifteen, so you're old enough to decide who becomes your legal guardian. You could even emancipate yourself, although I don't know why that would be necessary…"

"It's also your decision as to what happens to your aunt and uncle," Hermione added. "They're facing long sentences in federal prison for child abuse and neglect if you choose to testify against them, you know. Dudley would most likely be sent to foster care."

"See if he can blow up any aliens on his computer then," said Harry.

"Blow up what on his what now?" said Ron.

"Never mind," said Hermione.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but it's already almost nine in the morning," said Lucy, looking at her watch. "I have to get to class soon—and that means you four probably do too."

"Right!" Hermione grabbed her bag and stood up. So did the other three.

"I'll see you at breakfast, Ginny," said Harry. For a moment he considered giving her a goodbye kiss, but he decided she would be fine with a pat on the shoulder for now. Then they all left through the portrait hole, leaving Sirius sitting by the fire.

"Don't worry," Sirius called. "I'll keep this chair warm for you!"


	20. Stormy Weather

Harry, Ron and Hermione had Transfiguration for first period. To their relief, they didn't have Potions that day—all three of them were hoping they could put off being in Snape's class until he had cooled off a bit.

By the time they got to lunch, though, it was clear to see that not everyone was so lucky. Their first tip-off was when they walked by the huge hourglasses that held the House points, and Ravenclaw was missing an abnormally large amount of sapphires. The Gryffindor was next to the Ravenclaw table, and as Harry picked a seat next to Ginny Weasley, he noticed that a lot of them had never looked worse.

"What's wrong with all the Ravenclaws?" Hermione asked, looking concerned.

"Oh." Ginny looked sad. "Professor Marsh was a Ravenclaw, you know…"

"Let me guess," said Harry. "Snape is pissed off about Lucy, so he's taking it out on her House."

"It's true," said Ginny. "Hufflepuffs have Potions with the Ravenclaws, you know that, right? Well, I have a friend in Hufflepuff and she said Snape is being absolutely horrible to the Ravenclaws—"

"Even worse than he is to the Gryffindors?" Harry cut in.

"Yeah," Ginny replied. "Three first-years and one second-year had to be sent to Madam Pomfrey for Calming Droughts because he made them cry. Now he's taking points away from Ravenclaw House whenever he can, even if nobody's done anything wrong."

Harry glanced up at the High Table. Snape had already finished eating and left. Lucy was still there, looking relieved that he had gone. When Harry looked at the Ravenclaw table, he saw that some of them were still trying to stem the flow of tears down their faces. What had Snape done to them? After all, he knew just how mean Snape could be.

"Breakups really do hurt, you know," said Hermione. "Even if it's not really meaningful. When I was in third grade I had a 'boyfriend', but he left me. Even though now I realize I was too young to have an actual boyfriend, I was really torn up at the time. I went crying to my mother, asking her to tell me how to get back together with this boy…All she could say was, 'Not boy problems _already_.' I didn't know what she meant."

"Why did he break up with you?" said Ron, looking indignant.

"Well, he said I spent too much time doing my homework." Hermione laughed.

"You don't need him," said Ron. "You have me."

Hermione just rolled her eyes.

They were fortunate enough to not have Potions that day, Tuesday, but they did have it for first period on Wednesday, as well as Double Potions on Friday afternoons. So all three of them were nervous the next morning when they descended down the dungeon steps.

Snape glared at them when they walked in, like he was trying to burn them with his eyes. Harry knew Snape hated him for being James Potter's son, but now did he hate him for being Sirius Black's godson? Or did he hate him for tipping Sirius off? Well, it didn't matter…Harry _had_ saved Lucy, according to Sirius…

Harry and his friends were lucky they weren't Ravenclaws. When Snape taught the Slytherin/Gryffindor class, he mostly just sat at his desk and scowled at everyone. Indeed, he seemed to have been channeling his stormy feelings towards the Eagles of the school. Harry, Ron and Hermione were leaving Charms class one day to find a little Ravenclaw girl stumbling around the halls, letting out tiny sobs.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked her, looking concerned.

"N-No," the girl told them tearfully. "W-We have P-Potions with the Hufflepuffs. When they g-get an answer right, they g-get House Points, b-but when we g-get it right, we get p-points taken away!"

"Why?!" Harry demanded.

"B-Because w-we're not s-supposed to be show-offs!" the girl wailed. "It's n-not fair!"

"Don't worry," Hermione said, giving the girl a hug. "Remember, he's not angry with you. The reason he's acting this way is because his wedding with Professor Marsh didn't work out. She was a Ravenclaw too, you know…Not that it's justified in any way, of course. We're going to have a word with the Headmaster about Professor Snape's behavior."

"Who's we?" said Ron.

"We meaning you, me, and Harry," said Hermione strictly. "Just go to your next class, okay? Things will get better soon."

"Thanks," said the Ravenclaw girl, sniffing and waving goodbye.

"I can't believe Snape," Harry complained, as soon as they were out of earshot. "Why does he have to be such a bully? That's all he is, a bully! Just because he got friendzoned by my mom when he was _fifteen_ —he's in his thirties! Grow the hell up! What did he have to make her cry for?"

"Yeah!" Ron agreed. "Hermione, if you decided on someone else, I wouldn't constantly be a dick to your son, especially if he was an orphan!"

" _What?"_ Hermione looked at Ron like he was crazy.

"Never mind," said Ron, looking embarrassed. "I-I'll lead the way to Dumbledore's office, shall I?"

"Good call," said Hermione.

When they reached the office, said the password, and entered, Dumbledore was sitting there, looking tired. The first words out of his mouth were, "I know why you are here."

"Who cares?" yelled Harry. "Why don't you just give Snape the freaking can already? You let him get away with too much!"

"Harry, that is neither here nor there—"

"Would you speak English, please?!"

"I have spoken with Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly. Both boys looked angry, and Hermione looked concerned. "You have no idea what he is going through right now..."

"Maybe he is hurt, Professor, but does that—does that _really_ justify the way he's acting?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Very well; I shall speak with him." Dumbledore sighed. "By the way, Harry…Amelia Bones owled me back."

"What did she say?" Harry asked, suddenly anxious to hear Sirius's fate.

"Well, technically I got a response from the Head of the Wrongful Imprisonment Office, Mr. Louis Laffer," Dumbledore replied matter-of-factly. "There will be no trial."


	21. Cold Case

"Wha—no trial?!" yelled all three at once.

"No." Dumbledore smiled. "But there may be a legal pardon."

"Don't scare us like that!" Ron said indignantly. "Besides, what does that even mean?"

"It means that Mr. Laffer is going to investigate the crime, the way it should have been investigated thirteen years ago," Dumbledore explained. "If there is sufficient evidence in Sirius's favor, Amelia Bones will pardon him, and his name will be cleared. There is no need for a trial at this point."

"Can we see?" Harry asked. Dumbledore nodded, and the three friends read Louis Laffer's letter.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_Upon receipt of your letter, Madam Bones has forwarded it to me. After carefully scrutinizing your request, I have decided to accept it, and my department will conduct an investigation. If Mr. Black is indeed proven innocent, Madam Bones will issue him a full legal pardon, therefore clearing him of all charges. You may expect to hear from Madam Bones by Saturday, January 7, 1995._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Louis Laffer_

_Wrongful Imprisonment Office_

_Ministry of Magic_

"It sounded to me as if Mr. Laffer wanted to give Sirius a chance," Dumbledore continued. "You see, he's quite new to the Ministry of Magic. The office itself was set up in early 1983, shortly after Barty-Crouch-Jr.-Gate, but Mr. Laffer has only been there since late 1989. I daresay he has not been there long enough for his mind to get too corrupted by power."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"Mr. Laffer doesn't seem to have the same kind of bias some older Ministry employees may have developed," said Hermione, and Dumbledore nodded again.

 

* * *

 

 

When Harry, Ron and Hermione rushed to the Gryffindor common room after class that day, they were glad to find Sirius waiting for them there.

"You've gotten a letter back, Sirius!" Harry panted. "Read it!"

Sirius read the letter quickly once Harry handed it to him. When he put it down, his eyes looked brighter than they had in a long time as he bent down to give Harry a hug.

"Not quite in the clear just yet, but we're getting there," Sirius said happily. The group cheered. Not too long after, Ginny Weasley walked over to them with a grin on her face.

"What is this rumpus?" she asked jokingly.

"Sirius might get a pardon!" said Harry, and this time he actually did kiss Ginny on the cheek.

"The problem is," said Sirius, "the fact that we don't have Peter hasn't changed. Mr. Laffer's investigation isn't going to go very well without him. How else are we going to prove that I didn't do it?"

"I'm sure we can find something," Hermione told her. "I love watching crime shows at home, and it's surprising what you can learn about criminal law and cold cases from—wait a moment, that's it!"

"What's it?" Ron looked stumped—but then again, he had looked stumped for a long time by now.

"Sirius, where did this happen? I mean, where was it that Peter framed you?" Hermione asked.

"Somewhere around where Harry's parents used to live," Sirius told her.

"Wasn't it in a densely populated area? Busy street? Lots of shops?"

"Yeah, real busy Muggle area. I remember it was right in front of a Walgreens—"

"All right." Hermione snapped her fingers. "So we need to visit the Muggle police station in that area."

" _Why_ , though?" said Ron.

"Obviously, the Ministry of Magic thinks they solved the crime with Sirius," Hermione began. "But when the Muggle police did their investigation, they had no culprit. The case went cold for them."

"But the Ministry of Magic just told the Muggles it was a gas explosion, didn't they?" said Harry.

"And you think the police aren't going to investigate something big like that?" Hermione scoffed. "Don't you think they got a _little_ suspicious when they figured out there was no gas explosion? I guarantee you they investigated it further. So even though they never actually solved the crime, the records from that day in 1981 are still going to be in their case files—includingthe video tape surveillance from that Walgreens store, which will have recorded exactly what happened."

Ron, Ginny, and Sirius all looked confounded. Only Harry knew what Hermione was talking about.

"Just one problem, Hermione," he said. "How are we going to convince the police to give us their cold case files? We're just a bunch of kids to them."

"Well…" Hermione frowned. "We might need to see Mr. Laffer a little bit before Saturday."


	22. The Way It Hurts

Snape was furious as he walked down the corridors to Dumbledore's office; he could put two and two together! Harry Potter had ratted on him, and now he was going to be yelled at. Dumbledore hadn't fired him for using a Romance Charm on Lucy, and he was lucky enough for that…but would the cryptic old wizard show him mercy again?

Didn't ANYONE understand what was going on? Did anyone stop to think WHY he couldn't look at a Ravenclaw without wanting to break something? What was WRONG with people?

"Severus," said Dumbledore, as soon as Snape slammed the door behind him.

"I know what this is about, Professor," said Snape, trying to keep his voice calm.

"I'm afraid it's not acceptable for you to make my students cry, Severus," Dumbledore told him.

"Oh, and it IS acceptable for Lucy to just leave me in the cold like this?!" Snape snapped.

"Well, she wasn't your _property_ , you know," said Dumbledore. "You should try to be happy for them."

" _Happy_ for them?!" Snape unfortunately lost his temper then. "DO I LOOK HAPPY TO YOU?! HAVE I _EVER_ LOOKED LIKE A HAPPY PERSON TO YOU?! _NO!_ LIFE HAS FUCKED ME OVER FROM DAY ONE AND YOU'RE ASKING ME TO BE _HAPPY_ ABOUT IT?!"

"Language, Severus," said Dumbledore.

"I DON'T CARE!" Snape hollered. "NOBODY CARES! WHY DID LUCY LEAVE ME? WHY DID _LILY_ LEAVE ME? I GUESS I'M JUST THE SORT OF MAN WOMEN LIKE TO LEAVE!"

Dumbledore still looked calm. "Lost love is simply a part of life."

"I DIDN'T SEE IT HAPPEN TO SIRIUS BLACK!" It was taking all of Snape's self-restraint not to break something. "I SEE JAMES GOT TO BE THE HERO IN THE END WHILE I GOT SHUNTED TO THE SIDE! PART OF LIFE, MY ASS!"

"I'm not asking you to get over Lucy, or even Lily," the Headmaster told him. "Only to stop being cruel to the Ravenclaws. You know they did nothing. Why make them pay for what Lucy did to you? How is that fair?"

"LIFE'S NOT FAIR!"

"Severus, I hate to say it, but if you cannot comply with what I ask of you, I will have to take more drastic measures," Dumbledore told him, looking unusually strict. "You are hereby relieved of your teaching duties until you learn to leave your feelings at the door. You may remain in your teacher's quarters while you sort things out."

Suddenly, the urge to rage at Dumbledore had left Snape; he had no words. Without one look back at the Headmaster, he turned on his heel and left the office, sweeping unseeingly towards the dungeons, tears blurring his vision. Lucy was probably with Sirius Black right now, laughing about how he was going to get his name cleared, planning to get married, hoping to have a big family with lots of beautiful children while Snape died alone, as he knew he would…

Snape remembered being a third year, laying in a bed in the hospital wing with an ice pack on his head while James Potter danced with Lily, who had been _his_ prom date that year, how James had laughed as he'd wiped out in front of everyone; he remembered being a fifth year, when he made the mistake of calling her a Mudblood; he remembered seventh year, when Lily and James walked hand in hand down the corridors, how sometimes they'd just start making out in front of everyone, including him.

Now he had lost Lucy, too, not to mention his JOB. Yes, he could get his job _back_ if he got his shit together, but how could he, when his icy heart was broken? What was he supposed to do, cry like a little girl at his desk while someone else taught Potions? And who would be the substitute? Snape hadn't asked…he had been too shocked…too angry…too hurt…

As soon as he reached his teacher's quarters, which were of course also in the dungeons, he magically locked the door so that even _Alohamora_ wouldn't work, and collapsed onto the couch, trying not to break down. Dumbledore would announce that they had a new Potions Master (or Mistress) tomorrow at breakfast, and everyone would know why. They would just see Snape as a pathetic loser who couldn't take a breakup like a man—although that was probably what a lot of them already thought.

Even though Snape knew he had already hit rock bottom, life had never seemed so hopeless.


	23. Investigation

That morning, when Harry and his friends sat down to breakfast, they didn't look up at the High Table at first. They were too focused on their food. But, just as Ron had crammed two slices of bacon into his mouth at once, Dumbledore stood up; the talk died down, and heads turned.

"I have an announcement to make," said Professor Dumbledore. "Some of you who have had Potions for first period may have already noticed, but seeing as Professor Snape is currently…incapacitated, shall we say, we have a substitute Potions teacher for now."

"Oh my God!" Hermione gasped.

"It's _Evvy!_ " Ginny cried.

Sure enough, there was Evvy, sitting at the High Table, wearing canary-yellow robes and a white lily barrette in her hair, which had a black ribbon braided through it. The Slytherins did not clap, out of loyalty to their Head of House, and the Gryffindors were rather indifferent. Hufflepuff cheered wildly, for Evvy was one of their own; and Ravenclaw cheered the loudest, perhaps out of relief more than anything else.

"She's a pretty decent teacher," said a Ravenclaw girl from the next-door table. "Much nicer, at the very least. I had her for first period."

"At least she's not likely to make any of us cry," another Ravenclaw added.

"Our new Potions teacher insists that you call her Evvy, not Professor Marsh," Dumbledore continued. "I assume this is because she does not want to be confused with her sister—"

"Oh, don't be silly!" Evvy giggled. "That might be part of it, but 'Professor Marsh' just seems so unfriendly."

Slytherin grumbled. Gryffindor shrugged. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw screamed their approval.

 

* * *

 

 

During lunch, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny went to eat with Sirius instead. They asked him if he heard the news about Evvy becoming the substitute Potions teacher.

"Of course I heard," said Sirius, smiling. "Apparently she was all right in Potions. She managed to get a N.E.W.T. in the subject, and since it always confused the heck out of Lucy, she was happy to help."

"What about her job at St. Mungo's, though?" Ginny asked. "Won't they miss her?"

"She took quite a bit of time off to spend with her sister," Sirius explained. "I guess she's just going to spend it teaching too."

"Anyway, I've been meaning to tell all of you about my plan," Hermione said. "I've been thinking, and I figured after school today we could help Mr. Laffer with his investigation."

"How will we do that?" Harry said. "You haven't explained how we're going to get our hands on the cold case files from the Muggle police."

"I figured that maybe if we couldn't, Mr. Laffer could," Hermione explained. "I'm sure he'd be glad for us to help with his investigation. Besides, they've probably done this sort of thing before. If there's an issue, they can just modify his memory, can't they? We can get to the Ministry via a Portkey—same thing with the CPD."

"CPD?" said Ron.

"Cornwall Police Department," Hermione told him.

"Right," said Sirius. "I believe I managed to track Pettigrew down around Cornwall. You see, he was on the run after, well…you know."

"I know," Harry said darkly.

Sirius sighed. "So I'm guessing I can't come along."

"No," said Hermione. "They'd arrest you on the spot. But we'll go."

 

* * *

 

 

The Department for Magical Law Enforcement was on Level Two at the Ministry of Magic; Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all crammed into the elevator, along with a bunch of other passengers. Harry found himself squeezed tightly between Ginny and a gigantic wizard wearing a trench coat and a fedora. Luckily, the wizard got off at Level Three.

Since they knew they would eventually be amongst Muggles, the group knew they would have to dress in Muggle clothing. The students simply removed their black robes; underneath they had their school uniforms, and with Harry and Ron in slacks and Hermione and Ginny in uniform skirts, it looked fairly normal.

It was a long walk to Mr. Louis Laffer's office. It wasn't a very big office, which gave Harry the impression that the wizard's position wasn't considered to be a very significant one. _That makes sense_ , Harry thought, remembering how corrupt the Ministry was.

Finally, Hermione held her hand up to knock. They heard footsteps, the door swung open, and there stood a man who looked to be about in his early twenties, beaming at them.

"Hello!" said Mr. Louis Laffer. "What can I do you for?"

"My name is Hermione Granger," said Hermione. "You're investigating Sirius Black's case, right?"

"That I am, young lady, that I am!"

"Well, Albus Dumbledore currently has him in custody," Hermione continued. "I know we're just kids, but we represent Dumbledore and Harry here is Sirius's godson—"

"Oh, yes!" said Mr. Laffer. "I have great respect for Albus Dumbledore—he's on the Wizengamot, you know! And what he said in that letter makes sense—to be honest, I'm on Mr. Black's side! The only problem is, we have to get Amelia Bones on his side too so she can give him the pardon. I'm trying to find out a good place to start, but where to start if not with that scoundrel Peter Pettigrew?"

"That's why we came to see you," said Hermione. "I'm not sure if you know much about the Muggle world, but we were thinking we might work with the Muggle police—see what information they have on Sirius's case."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Laffer asked.

Hermione quickly explained her ideas to Mr. Laffer. Ron and Ginny (who had come from an old Wizarding family) still were struggling to understand, but Harry was hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't be so hard for Mr. Laffer.

"So…what do you think?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"Well, I may be pureblood, but my wife is a Muggle-born, so I know all about this kind of thing!" Mr. Laffer said proudly. "And as such, great minds think alike! We have worked with Muggle police before, although I'm afraid we've had to wipe their memories afterwards. I don't think it's very ethical, to be honest, but it's not as if I have much of a say…"

"All right," said Hermione. "Do you think you could make us a Portkey to the Cornwall police station?"

Mr. Laffer pointed his wand at a quill sitting on his messy desk and said, " _Portus!_ "

"So now it's a Portkey?" Ron asked.

"Right you are, young man!" Mr. Laffer said.

"But you might need Muggle clothes like us before you go," Harry pointed out.

"That I will, but where shall I get them?" Mr. Laffer looked worried. "I'm afraid I'm wearing nothing but my Hufflepuff boxers underneath my robes."

"That was WAY more than I needed to hear," Ron muttered to Harry.

"Just…just go in your robes, then," Hermione told him. "As long as you have ID on you, you'll be fine."

"I have a Muggle ID," Mr. Laffer replied. "All employees of the Ministry do, in case we need to interact with them. Now, everyone touch the Portkey at the same time, remember!"

Due to taking one to the Quidditch World Cup last summer, Harry and his friends were familiar with the concept of Portkeys, and Mr. Laffer of course had used them in his life, too. Before they knew it, they were at the Cornwall police station.

When they finally got to speak with the Chief of Police, they quickly explained the situation—and the man seemed to know exactly what they were talking about.

"We still have the records," the man said seriously. At first, he had seemed a little put off by Mr. Laffer's outfit, but his "Private Investigator" ID was what had gotten him through to the cold case information. However, the Chief of Police didn't take so kindly to the kids, so he and Mr. Laffer alone headed to the interrogation room so they could watch the video.

"I'm worried," Hermione confessed. "If this doesn't go through, Sirius could go to federal prison, or even back to Azkaban."

"Well, at least federal prison isn't filled with dementors," said Harry. "And they let you shower."

"Yes, in front of just about one hundred other men," said Hermione.

"BAD MENTAL IMAGE! BAD MENTAL IMAGE!" said Ginny, closing her eyes and putting her hands over her ears, and they all laughed, despite the grimness of the situation.

It was about an hour before Mr. Laffer and the Chief of Police finally came out of the interrogation room. Mr. Laffer seemed to be shaking with fear, and the Chief of Police looked grim.

"Mr. Laffer!" said Harry. "What happened?!"

"I'll let you know as soon as we get out of here," Mr. Laffer said, lowering his voice. "For now, I need to find an object to turn into a Portkey, so we can go back to the Ministry of Magic."

Mr. Laffer turned to the Chief of Police, who began speaking to him very sternly; he was still quivering.

"I hope everything's going to be okay," Hermione whispered.

"Let's go!" Mr. Laffer said, as soon as the Chief of Police let him go, and the group rushed out onto the streets and to a back alley, where they could perform magic without any Muggles seeing them. Mr. Laffer turned an old pop can into a Portkey, and back they went.

"So? What _happened?_ " Harry demanded, as soon as they were back in Mr. Laffer's office.

"We went into the interrogation room and watched the video," Mr. Laffer explained, his face still white as a shroud, clearly in a state of shock. "I've never seen anything like it before. It…it recorded everything! I even saw Pettigrew cut his finger off! I saw him say the curse! I-I saw the Ministry of Magic…taking Sirius away…how delirious he looked as he was laughing…all those Muggles killed…street exploded…"

Mr. Laffer had to sit down; Hermione walked over and rubbed his shoulders.

"It sounds terrible," she said. "Thank goodness Sirius didn't have to watch it, too. But they let you go?"

Mr. Laffer nodded. "I told him I'd review the tape at his office and get it back to him by Saturday. I'll also have to wipe his memory—he saw magic being performed, after all."

"Why did the Chief of Police look so grim?" Ginny asked. "Why were you shaking like that? How scared _were_ you?"

"Oh, he always looks grim," Mr. Laffer said, casually flipping his hand. "And as for the shaking, that had nothing to do with the Chief of Police. I'm afraid I've simply consumed too much butterbeer on my lunch break."

 

* * *

 

 

By the time Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had taken another Portkey back to Hogwarts Castle, it was time for dinner. Before dinnertime, the kids headed up to Gryffindor Tower and filled Sirius in on everything that had happened. Sirius seemed to believe that he had a chance, and he seemed quite relieved.

"We'll bring you some food after we're done, okay, Sirius?" said Harry.

"I look forward to it," Sirius replied. "Meet me up in your dorm."

Once they got down to the Great Hall, the investigation was all the four of them could talk about.

"We've done all we can do," Hermione said calmly. "Now we just have to wait for Madam Bones to make the final decision. I've warned him that they can't watch the video in the Ministry of Magic, though. Muggle technology goes haywire whenever there's magic around, so I told them they would need to take it to a residential Muggle neighborhood and watch it there. Either way, she'll be able to see the evidence."

"But if she decides Sirius is still guilty…" Ginny was chewing her lip.

"There's much more evidence for him than against him," Harry assured her, and after much internal debate, he decided to comfort her by holding her hand, except he grasped it a bit too tight, and she gave him a funny look. (Harry knew he was simply awful with girls, but he didn't think there was much he could do about it.)

Once they got to the dorms, they weren't surprised to find that the room was empty, but they were surprised to find Lucy with Sirius on the floor. Sirius was in his dog form, and Lucy was apparently using him as a pillow while she ate chocolate ice cream. She was wearing sky-blue robes today, and her feet were bare; her toenails were painted pink. Every so often Sirius would lick some ice cream off her face, and she would giggle girlishly. Her hair was quite tousled.

"I see you've brought food!" Sirius said as he transformed back into a human. As soon as he did, they saw that his hair wasn't so neat either. Harry wondered what they'd been doing while he and his friends had been at dinner. Well, at least they were on the floor…

"Delicious," Lucy added, running her fingers through her hair. "Sirius told me about the investigation. I think since Mr. Laffer already believes Sirius is innocent, and Madam Bones is an unbiased person, we should get through this okay."

"Fingers crossed," said Sirius, giving Lucy a kiss on the cheek.

"After receiving both," Lucy told him jokingly, "I think I prefer human kisses to puppy kisses."

"Noted," Sirius replied, and he kissed her again.


	24. Popular Potions Mistress

Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't quite sure what to expect when they descended the steps into the dungeons for double Potions on Friday afternoon. They knew Evvy would be their teacher, and certainly she was different from Snape.

There was one difference they spotted right away. Snape liked to wear black. Everything about him was always the color of black. There were some student theories: that he was Goth or emo; that he didn't know how to match clothing so he just chose black because it was a neutral; that he was secretly some sort of nocturnal creature and he would burn if he wore too bright of clothing. There had always been a theory that Snape could turn himself into a bat.

In contrast, though, Evvy's outfits were always colorful and bright. Today she was wearing lime-green robes, with a matching ribbon braided through her hair, and matching strappy sandals. Several buttercups were arranged delicately in her hair. She was smiling at her students, something Snape rarely did. In fact, some of the Hogwarts students wondered if his smile muscles actually worked.

"Even though I'm going to be teaching Potions until further notice, I have no intention of swaying from the curriculum Professor Snape has laid out for us," Evvy said sweetly. "Today we will be learning how to make the Wit-Sharpening Potion. Everyone find a partner, please."

"Professor Snape usually has us do independent work," said Malfoy nastily. None of the Slytherins were taking kindly to Evvy.

"Very well," said Evvy calmly. "You may work independently if you wish."

Malfoy scowled; he had obviously been expecting a fight.

"Wait until my father hears about this," he muttered to his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

"And what's your father going to do about it, exactly?" said Harry, who had partnered with Neville (Hermione was helping Ron). "Take it up with the Headmaster? You do know canning Snape was Dumbledore's decision, right?"

"Well…" Malfoy didn't seem to have an answer for that.

The class spent two hours of double Potions working on their Wit-Sharpening Potions. Ron and Hermione did just fine, and Hermione wasn't scolded for being an "insufferable know-it-all". Neville started to cry when his and Harry's potion turned the wrong color, but instead of scolding, Evvy actually helped them.

"Th-thank you, Professor Marsh," said Neville, wiping his eyes with a tissue Evvy conjured for him.

"Not at all, dear, not at all," Evvy replied kindly. Neville looked happy to finally leave Potions class without having a nervous breakdown. "And please, you may call me Evvy."

"That was the best Potions class we've _ever_ had," Harry was saying as they left the dungeon and separated from the Slytherins, who were saying very mean things about Evvy behind her back. "I actually enjoyed myself this time."

"Oh, come on," said Ron jokingly. "I bet you think Evvy's cute, too, don't you?"

"Well, it's weird to be attracted to Sirius's girlfriend, don't you think?" Harry felt heat creep up his cheeks again. "At least Evvy's single…"

"I could tell Ginny you said that, you know," said Hermione sharply.

"Oh, come on, like you don't have a teacher crush," said Ron, rolling his eyes. "You must have a secret thing for _someone_. Remember Lockhart?"

"That was two years ago!" Now it was Hermione's turn to look embarrassed.

"Either way, though, I hope she stays our Potions Mistress forever," said Ron. "And _not_ just because she's hot, but because she's actually a good teacher. I mean, Snape might be good at making Potions, but he's not good at teaching them."

"Yeah," said Harry. "Snape thinks we're bad at Potions, but he just can't teach, that's all…"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I absolutely _love_ Professor Marsh—I mean, Evvy," Lavender Brown gushed, falling into step with them. "She's like the big sister I never had. She's so sweet, so friendly, so pretty—I have to ask her how she styles those flowers and ribbons into her hair!"

"And where did she get those cute high-heeled flip-flops?" Parvati Patil added.

"Probably Madam Malkin's," said Lavender. "I bet she would take us shopping if we asked her!"

"Knowing Evvy, I'm sure she would," Hermione told her. "Lucy—you know, her sister—says clothes shopping is one of her favorite activities."

"Ours too!" Lavender and Parvati shrieked at the same time. Hermione rolled her eyes.

None of the Gryffindor students, in their eternal praise of the new Potions Mistress, noticed the former Potions Master standing by in the shadows, watching them talk, feeling disgusted with himself. When he first started his career as the Potions Master, he thought being a teacher would be different than being a student. In some ways, it was; at least he had authority. But in other ways, he saw no difference.

Bullying the students might feel good, in an awful way, but, as he had come to realize, it didn't make them _like_ him, the way they liked Evvy; he could abuse the Gryffindors from now until eternity, but that wouldn't get him what he really wanted, he knew. There was no point in Snape's life where he had been an instant hit, or at least remained that way. People still talked about him, started rumors about him, laughed at him. There was even a stupid rumor going around that there was some sort of grease-secreting monster in his hair, and that's why his hair was always so greasy.

Snape didn't really want to be around the company of any people, but he decided he'd do well to get a butterbeer in Hogsmeade. Making his way past the chattering Gryffindors, he was on his way out the school when he noticed something that made his already horrible day much worse—Sirius Black was hidden behind the statue of the one-eyed witch, and Lucy was there, too. They must have been under James's old Invisibility Cloak, because Snape couldn't see them, but he could hear them.

"It unsnaps the _other_ way, darling," Lucy was giggling.

"I know how bras work, Lucy dear…just shut up and kiss me…"

"Are you sure we won't be seen?"

"Now, what's life without a little risk?"

Snape felt an awful mixture of hatred, jealousy, rage and heartbreak wash over him all at once—all the ingredients needed to produce the salty solution that started in his eyes and soon could be tasted in his mouth. The worst potion of all, sometimes. Couldn't they at least control themselves until they got to Lucy's teacher's quarters? Evelyn Marsh had taken his job; Sirius Black and James Potter had taken his loves; now what did he have left? Just enough gold to drown Lily's memory in the Hog's Head Inn?

Head down as if walking into a gale, Snape stormed out of the castle and down to Hogsmeade, shoving strangers out of the way, black cloak billowing out behind him. By the time he reached town, his face was more or less dry, but he was just as angry, especially as people jostled him along. Hogsmeade was certainly very busy on Friday afternoons. Snape's temper had reached a boiling point when he felt someone smack headlong into him.

"Watch where you're going, shit-for-brains!" he snapped, knocking the stranger onto the ground.

"I-I'm…I'm sorry, sir," said the voice. It sounded like a little girl's, in an accent he couldn't quite place. Snape looked down.

There on the pavement was a young woman, maybe in her late twenties, wearing dark blue robes lined with black. Her light brown hair was in a loose ponytail, and her big brown eyes were filled with warmth—and tears. Unlike Lucy and Evvy, she wore very little makeup. Her shopping had spilled all over the street, and when she lifted her hands, Snape saw that she had scraped them all up on the pavement.

"No, um, I-I'm sorry," Snape mumbled, feeling guilty as he looked at her scraped-up hands. "Y-You're not a shit-for-brains."

The woman on the ground looked even more frightened, and the tears became more pronounced in those slightly oversized brown eyes.

"Um, th-thanks," she stuttered nervously.

"Let me help you up…" Snape avoided the woman's eyes. _Just help her up and leave her, Severus…no way are you going to let another woman into your life…NEVER!_

For one moment, the woman hesitated, then she reached out her hand.


	25. Thorns and Roses

When Snape hoisted the young woman up, he noticed that she was not very tall; maybe around 5'3", a little shorter than Evvy. She wasn't curvaceous like Lucy; in fact, she was rather skinny, and the robes hung loosely on her body. However, she wasn't bad-looking; you couldn't exactly call her hot, like Lucy, or frilly and bouncy, like Evvy. But there was just an innocent, vulnerable look about her that made Snape want to know more. Put together, the whole thing rather reminded him of a wounded animal, especially when his eyes locked with her own sweet brown ones.

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled again. "I-I wasn't looking where I was going…"

"Let me help you with that…" Snape turned his eyes away from hers again and gathered up her shopping with his wand.

"Oh…thanks…"

"What's your name?" Snape heard himself asking, then clapped his hand over his mouth. _Don't ask her what her NAME is! Leave her alone! She probably has a boyfriend anyway!_

"M-My name is Celeste Rosseau," she blurted, looking down at the ground. "Y-Yours?"

_Well, she ASKED for my name…I suppose I have to give it to her now…_

"I'm Severus Snape," said Snape. "There's no need to be so frightened. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Oh, I know…" Celeste's face was as red as a ripe tomato. "It's just, you know, I have all these errands to run…My roommate's a girl in trouble, still in her first trimester, so I buy ginger ale for her…she's very sick…"

"Morning sickness?"

Celeste shrugged. "Because it's always morning somewhere."

"There's a potion for that, you know," Snape told her. "She just needs to take three drops in the morning and three at night. I can brew it for you if you want…it only takes a couple days to mature…"

For the first time since Snape had met her, Celeste truly smiled; Snape was amazed at how much more beautiful it made her look.

"You're so sweet," she said shyly. "Charlene—you know, my roommate—she'll love that. Bless her, she can't even get up off the couch."

"Would you…would you like me to walk you back to your apartment?" Snape asked her hesitantly. "I'll carry the bags for you."

"At least let me carry one." Celeste's cheeks were still as red as anything, but she was smiling now.

"All right." Snape grabbed the two heavier bags, Celeste picked up the one he'd left on the ground, and she led him back to her apartment. They talked along the way.

"So…where do you live?" Snape asked.

"I work as a cashier at Honeydukes, so I live in an apartment on top of the store," Celeste explained. "What about you?"

"I'm a teacher at Hogwarts, so I live in the teacher's quarters there," Snape told her, deciding not to tell her that he'd recently been fired. "I'm the Potions Master."

"Wow," said Celeste. "I'm no good at Potions, but the subject was always interesting to me. I had no idea there was a potion that could help cure Charlene's morning sickness."

"Of course, it's N.E.W.T. level, but I can make just about any potion," said Snape, trying not to sound like he was bragging. "Besides, Slughorn was always very patient with the students who were bad at Potions, so he would've been nice about it anyway."

"Slughorn?" Celeste looked confused.

"Didn't you go to Hogwarts?" Snape asked.

"No, I went to Beauxbatons." Celeste smiled. "I was born in France, you see. I'm British on my mom's side, though—that's why I'm able to speak English like I do. I graduated in 1985, and around five years ago I moved to Hogsmeade."

"Do you like it here?"

"I do." Celeste smiled again. "The discount I get at Honeydukes is quite nice—and I'm sure that once Charlene gets a little further along, she's going to abuse my discount like nobody's business."

"Probably," said Snape.

Snape was so focused on Celeste's girlish smile that he barely noticed when they had reached Honeydukes. Celeste beckoned for him to climb upstairs, and they reached her apartment on Level Three. Celeste knocked once, then let herself in.

"Charlene, dear?" Celeste called. "I'm home."

They were greeted at the door by a young woman wearing a tattered pink bathrobe, holding a bottle of ginger ale. Her dirty-blonde hair was as messy as anything, and there were dark circles under her eyes, but they were also a bit red, as if she had been crying. Snape watched her cautiously.

"Celeste?" Charlene mumbled.

"What's wrong, honey?" Celeste cried, and next thing you know Charlene had collapsed in her arms, sobbing. "Tell Celeste what's wrong."

"You know what's wrong!" Charlene wailed. Snape noticed she had a rather thick New York accent.

"No, not Jim again, Charlene," Celeste moaned, but Charlene nodded, crying too hard to speak. Snape felt awkward.

"Who's Jim?" asked Snape, and as soon as the words escaped his mouth, he wished they hadn't. Charlene let out a sort of howl and collapsed onto the floor. Snape felt like he had never seen anything more pitiful.

"Jim is a scoundrel who left Charlene all on her own with only her friend Celeste to care for her," Celeste said angrily. "I don't think his name should be mentioned in his household."

"I-I called him today, Celeste," Charlene moaned. "Or I tried to, but…oh, Celeste, he's changed his number!"

"I'm telling you, Charlene, your baby is no child of his," Celeste said strictly. "Remember? You and I are going to look after the baby together. I _promise_."

Celeste pulled Charlene into a standing position and hugged her close, rocking her until she finally stopped crying. Snape didn't even realize he was staring. For one split second, Celeste reminded him of what he'd loved about Lily Evans—Lily had seen roses where others saw only thorns. _So much love_ , Snape thought as he observed the women, _in such a small package_.

It was only after she'd stopped crying that Charlene noticed Snape.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"This is Severus Snape, honey," said Celeste. "I met him when I was doing the shopping in Hogsmeade—and he has good news for you."

"Wha—oh, right," said Snape, remembering the potion. "You see, I'm the Potions Master at Hogwarts, and I can brew you a potion that will make your morning sickness go away in a heartbeat. All you need to do is take three drops in the morning and three at night."

For the first time, Snape saw light in Charlene's gray eyes. "Oh…thanks!"

"Listen, I'll be right back," said Celeste. "I'm going to start putting the shopping away."

"You do that," said Snape. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, he whispered to Charlene, "Is she, y'know…seeing anyone?"

"No." Charlene shook her head. "She'll never get a boyfriend, she's too shy. Like a newborn fawn. Beats the hell out of me how _you_ managed to make your way here without scaring her off. I mean, no offense, bro, but you're dressed like you're headed to a funeral."

Snape did not know how to respond to this information, so he just mumbled, "Not that I asked…"

"Know what's fun?" Charlene smirked. "Ask her if she's scored any guys recently. You should see her blush. It always helps when I need a laugh."

Snape did not find that particularly amusing, but he did find it kind of…sweet. When Celeste came back out of the apartment's tiny kitchen, Snape found himself giving her a smile. Even if he couldn't let a woman into his heart for real, at least they could still be friends, right?

"I suppose I should be heading back to the school now," Snape told Charlene and Celeste. "How about I drop by on Sunday with the potion?"

"That would be just wonderful." Charlene sighed in relief, sinking onto the second-hand couch.


End file.
